Nov 24, 2023 — Spraints Obambulate
Our yard has a few Japanese paper plants, some of which are currently blooming. The flowers are quite striking though to my eyes the plants themselves are a bit… straggly. Maybe that’s just ours, though.
Anyway, welcome to the last update of November. The holidays are upon us and my American readers probably spent yesterday overeating as a result. I trust it was good.
Last week I mused on the topic of happiness. A few readers responded, and I thought I would discuss those replies for a moment.
First, my mother was concerned that I am chasing happiness, and she’s found that isn’t the way it is generally acquired. Perhaps I wasn’t clear. I didn’t mean to imply I am actively searching out ways to be happy. Instead I was only trying to discuss what I had learned about it in my years on this large, spinning rock. But she’s right about happiness not being something you pursue, at least as far as I understand and experience it. Instead it’s a thing I find when I am living and acting in a way that works for me. Chasing it only makes it harder to reach.
Among the other responses, most agreed with the idea that happiness comes from strong relationships. It doesn’t matter who those are with: a partner or spouse, family, or friends. What matters is that those relationships are present. It seems they are the core of happiness for most of us.
A couple of people talked about the act of creation as making them happy, particularly when that resulted in something that they could give to someone else. Or — in a somewhat similar way — when they could do something for someone else. These descriptions came with things that sounded a bit like relationships though, and I wonder at the deeper implications. It might be relationships all the way down, rather than turtles.
And that’s it. No one told me money is key, or that happiness falls out of the sky in bags. I conclude that my thoughts weren’t particularly original, but I am glad they prompted a bit of conversation.
I’m supposed to tell you about the past week, but to be honest there isn’t a lot to share. I chatted with some friends, worked on the community email, and spent a lot of time struggling with WordPress. That program and I do not get along. I am struggling to figure out my next steps toward a faster, cleaner, easier to maintain website for the community association.
Our weather continues to be cool or cold, with lows near freezing overnight. Apparently the city sent out its fleet of salt trucks early this morning. Anne heard one go by just after 5am, confirmed by the flashing lights. It woke Tinkerbelle, who decided she needed to go out. And Tinkerbelle’s getting up roused me to make that happen. Why the truck didn’t wake me up I have no idea.
I’m a bit early with the post this week because we plan to visit the Vancouver Art Gallery later today. They have an exhibit of work by Denyse Thomasos — a Trinidadian painter — that looks interesting.
The next week will largely be consumed by the community email. I can already see it is going to consume a fair bit of time and effort. I’m warning you of that in advance so you don’t expect a lot in next week’s update.
I trust everyone is doing well. Please update me on your lives when you can!