money co-ops

             If there were a credit union in my town I'd transfer my money in a minute. The difference between a credit union and a bank is that banks are for-profit.  That means that the more fees they charge you and the less interest they give you the wealthier they become.  Credit unions, on the other hand, are non-profit organizations working for and on behalf of their members.   In a way a credit union is something like a banking co-operative.  In general their fees are lower than banks' fees, their interest rates tend to be slightly higher, their executive salaries are lower, they have fewer branches, and they are more locally oriented.   Their purpose is to work with and for you, as opposed to for their own self-preservation.  

            With social changes and tendencies towards more cooperation and more transparency, credit unions are becoming more and more popular because their practices are more customer oriented.  It is millennials that are driving the credit union growth trend,  and credit unions are growing faster than other financial institutions.

           Do you have a credit union in your town?

the joys of weekday grittiness

            I usually look forward to the weekend, especially going to sleep knowing that my night will not end with the sound of the alarm clock, but that I can wake up slowly, whenever, and linger luxuriously in bed. 

            But I am in a very creative period of my life and lots of stuff is happening, and most of it happens during the week.  So, believe it or not, there have been some weekends when I've been looking forward to resuming doing my stuff, to the grittiness of the week.

            Grittiness of weekday life?  By that I mean being deeply engrossed in my work instead of coasting, my weekend modus operandi.  There is great satisfaction in being intensely involved in something that has meaning to me.  Weekend life puts that work on hold, it places me on hold, it makes me pause, it interrupts my creative flow.  Sometimes the truly mundane is what's most meaningful; not the special spa manicure, not the special restaurant meal, not the lingering in bed, but the submersion in work you like doing, the feeling of accomplishment and getting something important done.  Which mundane tasks do you truly enjoy?

             See also an earlier related post Monday, Monday.

unconditional love

Why do we love our pets so much?  Or why do we love animals in general so much?  Look in the eyes of these animals - the wolf, the fox, the raccoon.  I think we love animals so much because of their unconditional love.  Animals have no hidden agenda. 

Wild animals may not show their love in the way our pets do; nevertheless their eyes convey a genuineness, a certain innocence, a truthfulness, a vulnerability, a transparency we admire because we don't necessarily see it in ourselves and our fellow wo/men.  We humans are so much more complicated.  We interpret, we judge, we evaluate, we question, we wonder, we manipulate, we doubt.  Why can't we be a bit more like animals?

fun learning

            Curiosity motivates us to learn, encouragement inspires us to thrive.  If I were independently wealthy I would take classes all the time.  But - and here's the caveat - it's got to be fun.  More so than the all-season gray skies in Belgium, I left Brussels because I was fed up with the dusty post secondary academic system that seeped all the way into creative fields like my design studies.  I felt inhibited and put down, instead of motivated and inspired.  That's how I landed on the shores of this country where I found a much more open learning environment (I'll leave the financial picture out of the conversation because that's a whole other discussion).

            I find that in general college education here encourages inquisitiveness, individualism, creative thinking and doing, critical-analytical thinking, and is practically oriented.   Many institutions have beautiful facilities with new buildings, great lab and studio spaces, well designed sports and communal facilities, all of which foster a positive learning environment.  I have experienced encouraging, nurturing, personal relationships with professors who work with, not above, the students - a totally different atmosphere than I knew from Europe where I encountered condescending professors on pedestals assured of their superiority.

            A Parisian friend said to me a while ago that France's dusty, staid, academic environment discourages exploring and voicing novel theories and inhibits innovation in research.  The best learning environments foster an inquisitiveness of seeing the world through children's eyes, full of wonderment and curiosity and of "what if?".  I love learning.

it's ok

I am so frustrated with these compostable trash bags.  They rip easily, humidity seeps through them, I can only fill them about halfways before they fall apart, and many times I need to double them up before bringing them out to the trash can.  Yet, I bought a big box of sixty twice - out of guilt, figured I couldn't give up so easily.  The environment is really important to me, I want to be responsible, be a good example, and do my share to save the world.   Plastic is an environmental

           I am so frustrated with these compostable trash bags.  They rip easily, humidity seeps through them, I can only fill them about halfways before they fall apart, and many times I need to double them up before bringing them out to the trash can.  Yet, I bought a big box of fifty twice - out of guilt, figured I couldn't give up so easily.  The environment is really important to me, I want to be responsible, lead by example, and do my share to save the world.   Plastic is an environmental nightmare that never (well, at least almost never) decomposes!  It swirls the Pacific in plastic islands the size of Texas, plastic shopping bags hang from our trees like rags and fly across roadways and fields, softdrink loops ensnare fish and seabirds, and fish and marine mammals ingest plastic bits and pieces that float in the ocean.  I don't want to be yet another contributor to this horror show. 

            Remember the days when we didn't care because we didn't know?  But sometimes life, and practicality, takes over and I think I'm done with these compostable trash bags because they just don't work and I really have tried and done my very best. For now I will settle for sturdy bags that are made from recycled plastic (at least something good), but, alas, are not compostable.  And I think the world will survive, and I will be ok.  What are your thoughts?

quandary of choices

           I have so many different types of tea in my kitchen cabinet, soothing green sencha, earthy green barley popcorn Genmaicha, perfumy black Early Grey and strong basic Irish breakfast, soothing camomile tea, astringent rosehips and hibiscus, herbal bitter orange, and stomach calming fennel tea.  Each tea has a different characteristic, which I drink according to my different moods, some are therapeutic, some are soothing, some have oomph, some have caffeine, some not.  This diversity in teas is wonderful and offers me all these different options.  In general, we welcome choices like these, whether in food and drink, or the way we dress, or about what books we like.

            People, too, are diverse.  So many different beliefs and convictions, so many different talents, so many different physical characteristics, so many different expressions.  Why is it then that we can sometimes feel threatened by the diversity in people?  That we feel intimated by a different physicality, by a different opinion? Why do we feel safe among people who think like us?   We do we have a tendency to judge different opinions?  How about relishing our diversity?  What do you think?

creating community

            I am so fortunate to live in a fantastic town and community.  Traditionally the church used to be the anchor of a town.  In any small European village you can find the town center with its market place by looking for the church steeple.   At church and at the market is where people used to gather and meet. 

            Creating and being part of a community is a much more diverse experience nowadays than meeting at market or church.  My small town offers an amazing number of cultural and community events, many of them free; from concerts and talks to art parades and music festivals, from street fairs and a community garden to carnivals and the drive-in.  Then there is an endless variety of organizations with opportunities for volunteering, an activity that gets you out to meet new townspeople and creates a better and more compassionate community; from school organizations to food pantries, from literacy and homework programs to community dinners and fundraisers, from organizations to improve life in our community in general or the life of a specific group of people  to organizations for specific causes - you can find an organization for just about any cause.

            Social interaction is important.  The first part of my life I spent living in metropolises.  Life there can be exhilarating, full of energy and creativity, with an endless array of choices to get involved.  But it can also be overwhelming and lonely.  It sure takes time and intent to become integrated into the fabric of a community.  I like knowing the farmers I buy my food from, I like knowing the shop owners where I buy my clothes, books, and gifts.  I like running into acquaintances at the Sunday market or a library event or a festival in town.  I feel embedded in the web of relationships that we as a town have created through our activities and offerings.   The more you're part of it the more fun it is; moreover it's healthy for you (see a previous post on that).  Help to create the community you wish to live in - it's truly rewarding. 

unslumping yourself

             Inspiration is what renews my creativity and energy, and refreshes my enthusiasm for life.  Inspiration can come from people, things I experience, things I read, things I see, do, taste, hear, even feel - anything that stimulates my senses in a positive way, the more positive, the more inspiring end energizing. 

            Every once in a while it is necessary to break out of our day-to-day routine and make it a point to experience something new.  Routine has its merits - see a previous blog post on that - but all routine and no fun and stimulus makes us bored and boring, and potentially even depressed. 

            What inspires you?  Last spring I wrote about going on an adventure.  I get good energy and a kick in the mind from conversations with people - when my voice becomes loud, as my husband points out, it means I am passionate about what I'm talking about.  Exhilaration can come from overcoming our comfort zone and succeeding beyond our initial expectations.   Sparkling eyes are a sign of good energy, as are big smiles or laughs - that's when a person is inspired and inspiring.  Do you have a trick for getting out of a mental slump and boosting your enthusiasm for the zest of life?

making food your ally

            So many people view food as their enemy.  Whether it's the perception that fat is bad, that cholesterol clogs your arteries, that dessert is sinful, that foods that are good for you taste bad, or that all the yummy foods are bad for you.  Well, here is a list of complaints that makes food your enemy. There is a lot of bad science behind these blanket statements, and many of them have been debunked in recent years, although it is a fact that the so-called Western Diet makes us sick. It is true that eating empty calories, foods without nutritional value, will never satisfy your body and you'll keep craving and eating more in a vicious cycle.   

            How about making food your ally in building a strong and energetic body instead?  "Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food," Hippocrates, the famous physician from Ancient Greece, is purported to have said.  When you learn to cook well with the foods that are healing and beneficial you'll make food your ally.  When you learn to love good food unconditionally because it is what heals your body and assures a good life you'll make food your friend.  When you become knowledgeable about the healing properties of food, the guiltless pleasures of food, you'll not only create a great hobby, but also the basis for healing the Western civilization diseases. When you learn about the good-for-you foods, and how to prepare them well so they taste delicious, you can have your cake and eat it too. 

design goes mainstream

     Designer-this and designer-that is everywhere.  We want our stuff to look good besides being functional.    While Walmart sells on price and functionality alone, Ikea and Target have added beauty to the mix with great success - design for less, design for the masses, and that's a great thing.   

            Designer-everything has entered the main stream.   Pretty things make our surroundings more pleasant, color adds joy, and well designed items take it even a notch up from there.   Design is aesthetics with intent and it adds sophistication.  We love Bauhaus style, many people know the Mies and Barcelona chairs, industrial designer is a sought after job. 

            From a cultural perspective we enjoy material abundance way beyond the bare necessities and find it no longer sufficient to buy a lamp that lights the room, a coaster that prevents the tablecloth from scorching, or plain disposable paper cups.  Our senses have become more finely tuned and the pervasiveness of good design is astonishing.   How do you feel about design?  Superfluous or adds to the quality of your life?