“Stories are medicine. I have been taken with stories since I heard my first. They have such power; they do not require that we do, be, act, anything -- we need only listen.”
― Clarissa Pinkola Estés
Phix's Curiosity: what sparks my interest
Watch this space to see what's sparked my interest this week. A random grab bag of delights!
Honestly? Work. My day job. How do we create a content management system that is easy to use and gets people to the "bites" of information they need when they need them with as minimal sifting through massive papers as possible? We've gotten to the article level or the chapter level, but how do we get to the observation/insight level? Within the article how do we quickly and efficiently access the core takeaways? What are the parameters, what makes the content *good*, what makes it not only easy to read, but easy to create? Etc. So many etcs!
Medusa's Garden
When you need every one and everything around you to just stop.
And there's the flip side - I had a momentary lapse of brain in a meeting this week. Just, I looked at the words I'd put on a power point slide and... I knew what all of the words individually meant and for the life of me, I had no idea nor could I even fake trying to explain what they meant. Not my best moment. And it left me pretty shaky for the next 24 hours. I did manage to salvage things a bit, going to the next line, nope, ok, I know what the last two lines mean so I guess I'm going to work my way up from the bottom of the slide but... kinda damage done by that point.
That said, the Universe seemed to also step in and say, hey, you're alright, here's three really nice compliments, one from a peer of the skip-level boss that he shared with me and the new boss, one directly from the skip-level boss, and one from a co-worker whose opinion I value.
I only had five minutes in the presentation and I think it felt like an eternity but really wasn't. I think the big thing is that even if the whole thing threw me off for 24 hours - that feeling of being off kilter and thrown for a loop does come to an end. There was a period of my life where I felt perpetually somewhat off-kilter (and actively undermined), so to realize something like this has a recovery time frame now is pretty significant progress. And 24 hours seems like a long recovery time, but - progress takes time so counting this as a small victory.
Ariadne's Yarn: playing with threads
What I'm up to with fiber and possibly how mythology and stories all tie together.
I'm knitting. And seriously considering buying a drum carder. I think it's less a matter of if it's going to happen than when. I think it might be soon. Just. For reasons.
I did start spinning up the latest merino-bamboo. It's very soft. And very pretty. I will have 4 ounces of it and no idea what to do with it. It will come to me in time. It always does!
Mythic Librarian: the art of arranging a life
Thoughts on ontology and ways to organize a life.
Do not be dismayed by the brokenness of the world.
All things break. And all things can be mended.
Not with time, as they say, but with intention.
So go. Love intentionally, extravagantly, unconditionally.
The broken world waits in darkness for the light that is you.
— L. R. Knost
With love, and structure, and organization, and curiosity - may Ariadne's ball of yarn guide you through the labyrinth safely until next time!
--Susan