Thanks to all of you for such a great year of reading and participating and questioning. I have some important pieces to share with you in 2024.
But it’s also become clear to me that I need to regularly exit the rabbit hole in order to not go completely bonkers—from understanding this issue in a way that contradicts how almost everyone around me understands it. I need to fortify myself with, well, anything else that feeds the soul. (Not that I believe in the soul.)
I listened to this interview with David Brooks yesterday, and I wondered what had happened to me that I was admiring him so much—but it turns out, he’s changed!
I actually can’t remember what books I’ve read this that aren’t about gender, so I don’t have books to recommend—well, other than Crazy Like Us, which was not about gender but really have been, and Bad News, which was also not about gender but could have been.
I made some really good rugelach and a chocolate fruit tart.
I played with my cats a lot and visited a lot of dogs in the park (and my favorite stopped by for a visit).
I spent as much time as possible with my heretic pals in person.
Yesterday, I sang in a chapel for my friend’s birthday; harmonizing is a reason to live.
Later, I saw really good friends whom I haven’t hung out with since pre-pandemic, and watched our kids bond.
Soon I’ll be in the desert for a few days, with my pals from grad school, communing with the saguaro and the palo verde trees. And after that, walking along the winter beach, an annual tradition.
Would you please share your soul-fortifying anythings here? Recipes, podcasts, music, volunteer opportunities…just anything beautiful that you want others to know about.
I intend to spend more time just sitting quietly and holding hands with my father who is in hospice care and has dementia and no longer recognizes me as his child, but 'knows' I'm a regular friendly visitor.
I always feel better when there is a concrete action I can take to address the gender stuff. In that spirit, I am posting here an easy, but important, concrete action to take, which is to sign and share this petition in opposition to the WHO “transgender health” guidelines process. https://who-decides.org/ Here is the purpose of the petition:
“We, the undersigned, strongly object to the World Health Organization's (WHO) biased panel tasked with creating new transgender health guidelines. Of the 21 panel members, over three-fourths are transgender activists. The few physicians either specialize in HIV or are “gender doctors.” There is currently a worldwide explosion of teenagers wishing to undergo a sex change; WHO’s stated plan to promote hormones and “legal recognition of self-identified gender” will harm innumerable gender-dysphoric youth, gays, lesbians and other women. WHO must cancel this group's first planned meeting in February and go back to the drawing board.”
I agree, "harmonizing is a reason to live!" Here's a recent beautiful little experience about harmony. I sing to elders for living. On Christmas eve, I went to the nursing home and sang for Anna. She was sad and even antagonistic at the beginning of our session. She told me with exasperation, "I can't sing!" I wondered if she had once sung, if it had been an important part of her life--as a singer, I know how it devastating it feels to lose my voice. But she immediately got into the Christmas carols. By the time I got to Silent Night, I could hear a high, sweet harmony, a thin ribbon floating in the air. She told me she had been chosen to be in a choir in high school at Interlocken, the artis school. In the 1940s. She remembered singing in the choir outside by the lake. She said people from across the lake had heard them and said they sounded like angels. Her face was transformed into one of joy. I have hope for this new year, on all fronts.
Thank you for all you do, enjoy your time in the healing desert and beach!
During the pandemic I started studying herbalism. I have tried to keep up those studies but 2023 became so much about gender for me, as I work on getting my kid out of its clutches and also have started working in this space in myriad other ways. A couple of months ago I got determined to get back to "playing with plants." I made a bunch of handcrafted herbal oils (highly recommend Kami McBride if anyone is interested in learning this.) And for Christmas I mixed up healing teas, body butters, sugar scrubs, herbal honeys and lip balms to give to family. There is something so gratifying about getting back to nature, getting in touch with ancient wisdom, bringing nourishment and healing to loved ones without needing doctors or prescriptions. If this gender madness has taught me anything, it has taught me to tap into my maternal instincts and given me a new appreciation of wise women from decades, centuries, and millennia gone by. Happy New Year all.
After about a month of Duolingo lessons, I was finally able to tell my mother I love her in Latin ("amor te, me pulchram matrem"), just in time for her birthday.
At my husband' s suggestion, this year I will spend less time reading about the trans issues and estrangement. I will read the articles with good news titles. I will still take action on simple things like writing that WHO letter but I will no longer spend time and energy to try to convince people to look at things differently who have no intention of changing their minds. I have just resigned from my faith community because its leaders all support transitioning a 6 year old and keeping me away from my grandchildren to help my estranged daughter. I will spend more time with friends who continue to be there for me and show them how much I appreciate them. I will stay away from those who have been unkind to me and be kinder to others instead of stewing in anger. I am reading a book I was given called " Build the Life You Want" about getting happier and I think it is helpful.
For the Senses: Coffee & Beeswax scented candles ; Soundtrack: Astral Weeks (Van Morrison), Led Zeppelin; Movies: Die Hard, Frank (must see indie flick); For the Spirit fresh flowers every Friday; I can’t seem to get though books anymore, but love magazines with beautiful pictures: Texas Highways.
That chocolate fruit tart tho 😍 wow Would you be willing to part with the recipe? I find bird watching at the feeder outside by the lake and sitting in front of a crackling fire to be restorative at this time of year
Museums, exploring a new city or town, rock ‘n’ roll music from the 70s, baking something, cuddling with my cat, getting lost in a new sci-fi series, calling an old friend, quilting, reading craft & shelter magazines or a juicy new book from a favorite author, window shopping, & hanging out in a reading room in a library or university. 🎼 “These are a few of my favorite things…” 🎶
I decided I need to work on myself so I am less reactive to all the crazy. I started working on a bioregenerative farm milking cows, making sourdough breads I don't react to, making skin products with tallow, and accepting that it is enough that I helped my kids through the gender, deep blue high school years while speaking out as much as I could without hurting them socially. I can't change the world, turns out. The mistakes the woke and extreme left are making are theirs to struggle through and deal with.
The reason I can write all that and BELIEVE all that is discovering exactly how unhealthy it is for me to get caught up in this. It actually causes my anxiety and pain and fibromyalgia and rashes and food sensibities. Maybe this week help if you struggle with these things: https://youtu.be/rYz_ApWYeg0?si=Sh2VbZgMRL2t-C4L
For me it’s playing with our goofy dogs and looking at art books(mostly anything clay). I am also scheming how to meet more neighbors in our community since we are still kind of new here. Walking our dogs helps. Thank you, Lisa!
Here's a long-form interview with the british Cosmologist Brian Cox on the Joe Rogan show. He simply yet eloquently describes what it is to think like a scientist, and I was excited to notice how it harmonizes so well with all kinds of good advice I've heard and read over these past difficult few years . . . If you've been feeling enervated and dead because this part of the year now feels like just a meaningless husk, an empty set of rituals with no purpose anymore . . . well, I like Brian Cox's way of finding Meaning. Perhaps you might find it useful too.
This is long, but definitely worth your time. (and don't worry if you're not a math and science wizz . . . those talents are not required for this.)
Thank you for all you've done over the past year, Lisa. Thanks for sharing how you've managed to slide through the year relatively unscathed. I can't wait to see American Fiction!
Our soul fortifying plan for 2024 is to move to Bavaria in April to help our daughter escape the insane 'healthcare' here in California. If I see one more doctor with a trans flag in their office ... I can't even get a massage here without seeing a trans flag. If anyone else has moved, I'd love to hear how it went. I've been learning German for the past two years and I'm finally making progress this past month. It feels good to see the results of a project that takes slow perseverance. A solid sense of accomplishment. For a quick boost, exercise in any form for a mood boost. And make more salads. I love this cookbook: https://www.amazon.com/Salad-Recipes-Simple-Salads-Dressings/dp/1922417610 Happy New Year everyone oder allen ein frohes neues Jahr!
Your cats are beautiful and impressive. I will Try to cut down on reading about trans stuff and be disciplined about going to the exercise class this year. Also keep working on getting my Afghan friend out of Pakistan to a safe country.
I got back into Buddhism this year which has helped. I backslid a lot during the pandemic. Still not good at mindfulness but I'm relearning emotional lessons I forgot. Reading has always provided sustainable. This year I read Trans, Helen Joyce's great book on the craze. Really beginning to see this as a lefty moral panic over homosexuality and feminism. It's really brought about the misogyny on the left as Trump made racism okay on the right. I think (hope!) that the Hamas/Israel War has really caused wokeness to jump the shark and reveal itself to be the morally bankrupt (in all ways) and that we can start dialing back the madness--the racism, misogyny, homophobia, antisemitism and other ills the left deluded itself were only on the right. MAGAs, woke--not much diff between the two anymore, they just can't agree on who's okay to hate.
Lisa, your newsletter is awesome and you really keep me up to date on the latest trans madness news. I would like to be a paid subscriber but it's always more expensive for Canadians with the exchange rate 😕
I’ve taken classes in pottery, crochet, photography, and will take a weaving class next. Trying to learn a skill to create has been great for taking my mind off the crazy.
BTW, just listened to that interview with David Brooks and notice much in it that aligns well with elements of how the group Braver Angels is trying to encourage individual Americans to realize about their ideological opponents. It was interesting to hear his interpretation of how his reserve was a thing about himself to shed. So, yeah, he changed. But also, perhaps it's worth reflecting on what might have changed about ourselves to be curious enough about him to want to listen with an open mind to an interview with him? Also, I had another thought: there is an interesting point during the interview where Brooks is talking about how very politically active individuals are frequently very lonely people (Notice how the interviewer expands that to "extrovert" types . . . we're all familiar with the intensely lonely celebrity, after all.). Anyway, I had just finished listening to a recent Theramin Trees analysis of "the savior complex," and it was like two "human nature" puzzle pieces snapping together rather handily . . . For lack of a better term, I would say there are a lot of "woke" activists out there whose loneliness and desire to save are drawing them into some pretty destructive behavior. And one can imagine that's going on a little bit on the opposite extreme (although, I'm inclined to think of most of the destructive behavior coming out of reactionary fear . . . ?) Of course, all the above is a huge broad brush . . . but it's a theory worth testing on the individuals we encounter, and helps to soften our temptation to judge harshly before we've gathered enough data on an individual, yes? (Sorry. meandering in the comments . . . ) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXcTIkuzQ3I Ooops. Ha ha! I jumped the gun, should have finished listening before writing this comment . . . I'm merely repeating the connections to Braver Angels mentioned later in the interview. (I was "Bringing Coals to Newcastle," as usual . . . tee hee)
I've been in Choir of the Earth, a digital choir out of London, for three years. We sing the "big works". We have a wonderful conductor who teaches us our part and then record ourselves. Check us out on youtube. I don't have access to singing this music in my small college town so am very grateful that a friend in London told me about it.
Your comment about liking David Brooks is interesting but not too surprising. I am observing a range of interesting political and intellectual realignments in response to events of the past 5-6 years.
So lovely to read everyone's joy-and-sanity-bringing ways!
I love knitting, so that's definitely on my list. And I combine that with audio books of my favourite authors: Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, the older the better! :) Dorothy L. Sayers in particular is a fairly recent revelation - I can't recommend her enough!
Also on my definite non-gender list is reading more Wendell Berry and trying to put some of his advice into practice. I am drawn more and more towards the earth and all other non-human creation and the wisdom and beauty and generosity that it has. Just driving out of the megacity I'm in and into the country where there are no sidewalks and buildings, only trees and fields and grass and birds is healing for me.
May we all have a healthy year, physically, emotionally, and spiritually!
For me, finding solidarity with other gender critical women has been incredibly beneficial for my sanity. While I don’t sing, it feels so fortifying to harmonize with other voices. For an escape, I like to read authors from 50+ years ago. Iris Murdoch, for example. I find her thinking incredibly prescient (so prescient that it takes me right back to gender but that’s ok). Just now I read the following paragraph first published in 1964 as part of an essay called The Idea of Perfection. She wrote, “I wish in this discussion to attempt a movement of return, a retracing of our steps to see how a certain position was reached. The position in question, in current moral philosophy, is one which seems to me unsatisfactory in two related ways, in that it ignores certain facts and at the same time imposes a single theory which admits of no communication with or escape into rival theories. If it is true that philosophy has almost always done this, it is also true that philosophers have never put up with it for very long.” We can all draw some inspiration from that!
Small but important sanity savers for me are spending time with my cats, and dog, gardening, making bread, singing. Until my young adult daughter is freed from its spell, gender ideology will continue to preoccupy me, but I get comfort from the GDSN parent groups and listening to the wonderful Gender - A Wider Lens podcast
I’m starting the New Year by being a bit more selfish. I tend to be a caretaker- my husband, my dogs, my friends..I don’t prioritize myself in there. So, I’m going to try and remember to take care of business but also set aside time for painting (I’m a newer Plein air painter), creative doodling, walks by the ocean or in the desert and some girlfriend time just kicking around. My husband and I are making major changes in our life- simplifying, downsizing, uncomplicating. We’re in our 70s, so if we don’t do it now, someone else will do it for us. Who needs that aggravating noise! I want to pray more, watch the news less and stay in gratitude for the wonderful things God does for me every day, including you, Lisa. Thank you for the inspiration and courage to recognize the insanity around us and the ability to respond sanely and with compassion.
I've been taking accordion lessons for the last 12 years. Accordion music is happy even when it is sad. I also have had a duet partner on concertina for the last 6 years. We get together once a week to practice and play at assisted livings. She composes the harmonies and lots of new songs for us. We've learned 11 sets of music in 6 years.
What a beautiful thread! I just finished up a shopping spree at the Korean market. Bought some panchan to round out our NYE feast/movie marathon. Also stocked up on miso, umeboshi, and burdock root to kick off my 2024 mission to show some love to my microbiome. Wishing everyone a happy, healthy 2024!
I intend to spend more time just sitting quietly and holding hands with my father who is in hospice care and has dementia and no longer recognizes me as his child, but 'knows' I'm a regular friendly visitor.
I always feel better when there is a concrete action I can take to address the gender stuff. In that spirit, I am posting here an easy, but important, concrete action to take, which is to sign and share this petition in opposition to the WHO “transgender health” guidelines process. https://who-decides.org/ Here is the purpose of the petition:
“We, the undersigned, strongly object to the World Health Organization's (WHO) biased panel tasked with creating new transgender health guidelines. Of the 21 panel members, over three-fourths are transgender activists. The few physicians either specialize in HIV or are “gender doctors.” There is currently a worldwide explosion of teenagers wishing to undergo a sex change; WHO’s stated plan to promote hormones and “legal recognition of self-identified gender” will harm innumerable gender-dysphoric youth, gays, lesbians and other women. WHO must cancel this group's first planned meeting in February and go back to the drawing board.”
SEGM has an excellent explainer on the WHO Guideline plans here: https://segm.org/world-health-organization-transgender-guidelines. As you’ll see, absolutely everything is wrong with WHOs process, short timeframe for comment, and over the holidays, closing 1/8; composition of the advisory panel (one activist member’s pronouns are “they/them/that bitch”--see this thread from Leor Sapir on that: https://twitter.com/LeorSapir/status/1741210385108136119), the list goes on.
May the New Year bring everyone here, who has fought so hard for the truth and suffered so much, peace and joy.
I agree, "harmonizing is a reason to live!" Here's a recent beautiful little experience about harmony. I sing to elders for living. On Christmas eve, I went to the nursing home and sang for Anna. She was sad and even antagonistic at the beginning of our session. She told me with exasperation, "I can't sing!" I wondered if she had once sung, if it had been an important part of her life--as a singer, I know how it devastating it feels to lose my voice. But she immediately got into the Christmas carols. By the time I got to Silent Night, I could hear a high, sweet harmony, a thin ribbon floating in the air. She told me she had been chosen to be in a choir in high school at Interlocken, the artis school. In the 1940s. She remembered singing in the choir outside by the lake. She said people from across the lake had heard them and said they sounded like angels. Her face was transformed into one of joy. I have hope for this new year, on all fronts.
Thank you for all you do, enjoy your time in the healing desert and beach!
During the pandemic I started studying herbalism. I have tried to keep up those studies but 2023 became so much about gender for me, as I work on getting my kid out of its clutches and also have started working in this space in myriad other ways. A couple of months ago I got determined to get back to "playing with plants." I made a bunch of handcrafted herbal oils (highly recommend Kami McBride if anyone is interested in learning this.) And for Christmas I mixed up healing teas, body butters, sugar scrubs, herbal honeys and lip balms to give to family. There is something so gratifying about getting back to nature, getting in touch with ancient wisdom, bringing nourishment and healing to loved ones without needing doctors or prescriptions. If this gender madness has taught me anything, it has taught me to tap into my maternal instincts and given me a new appreciation of wise women from decades, centuries, and millennia gone by. Happy New Year all.
After about a month of Duolingo lessons, I was finally able to tell my mother I love her in Latin ("amor te, me pulchram matrem"), just in time for her birthday.
At my husband' s suggestion, this year I will spend less time reading about the trans issues and estrangement. I will read the articles with good news titles. I will still take action on simple things like writing that WHO letter but I will no longer spend time and energy to try to convince people to look at things differently who have no intention of changing their minds. I have just resigned from my faith community because its leaders all support transitioning a 6 year old and keeping me away from my grandchildren to help my estranged daughter. I will spend more time with friends who continue to be there for me and show them how much I appreciate them. I will stay away from those who have been unkind to me and be kinder to others instead of stewing in anger. I am reading a book I was given called " Build the Life You Want" about getting happier and I think it is helpful.
After following you for a while and admiring your work, I subscribed yesterday.
Now, if it isn't a 'soul' that is so powerful that it drives you, what is it? :)
Thanks for your insights, wisdom and courage.
I so feel this need.
My winter fortifying mix:
For the Senses: Coffee & Beeswax scented candles ; Soundtrack: Astral Weeks (Van Morrison), Led Zeppelin; Movies: Die Hard, Frank (must see indie flick); For the Spirit fresh flowers every Friday; I can’t seem to get though books anymore, but love magazines with beautiful pictures: Texas Highways.
Happy 2024!!!
That chocolate fruit tart tho 😍 wow Would you be willing to part with the recipe? I find bird watching at the feeder outside by the lake and sitting in front of a crackling fire to be restorative at this time of year
Best wishes to you and yours for 2024
Keep on keepin’ on + virtual hugs 🤗
Museums, exploring a new city or town, rock ‘n’ roll music from the 70s, baking something, cuddling with my cat, getting lost in a new sci-fi series, calling an old friend, quilting, reading craft & shelter magazines or a juicy new book from a favorite author, window shopping, & hanging out in a reading room in a library or university. 🎼 “These are a few of my favorite things…” 🎶
I decided I need to work on myself so I am less reactive to all the crazy. I started working on a bioregenerative farm milking cows, making sourdough breads I don't react to, making skin products with tallow, and accepting that it is enough that I helped my kids through the gender, deep blue high school years while speaking out as much as I could without hurting them socially. I can't change the world, turns out. The mistakes the woke and extreme left are making are theirs to struggle through and deal with.
The reason I can write all that and BELIEVE all that is discovering exactly how unhealthy it is for me to get caught up in this. It actually causes my anxiety and pain and fibromyalgia and rashes and food sensibities. Maybe this week help if you struggle with these things: https://youtu.be/rYz_ApWYeg0?si=Sh2VbZgMRL2t-C4L
For me it’s playing with our goofy dogs and looking at art books(mostly anything clay). I am also scheming how to meet more neighbors in our community since we are still kind of new here. Walking our dogs helps. Thank you, Lisa!
Here's a long-form interview with the british Cosmologist Brian Cox on the Joe Rogan show. He simply yet eloquently describes what it is to think like a scientist, and I was excited to notice how it harmonizes so well with all kinds of good advice I've heard and read over these past difficult few years . . . If you've been feeling enervated and dead because this part of the year now feels like just a meaningless husk, an empty set of rituals with no purpose anymore . . . well, I like Brian Cox's way of finding Meaning. Perhaps you might find it useful too.
This is long, but definitely worth your time. (and don't worry if you're not a math and science wizz . . . those talents are not required for this.)
Joe Rogan Experience #1233 - Brian Cox
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wieRZoJSVtw
Thank you for all you've done over the past year, Lisa. Thanks for sharing how you've managed to slide through the year relatively unscathed. I can't wait to see American Fiction!
Our soul fortifying plan for 2024 is to move to Bavaria in April to help our daughter escape the insane 'healthcare' here in California. If I see one more doctor with a trans flag in their office ... I can't even get a massage here without seeing a trans flag. If anyone else has moved, I'd love to hear how it went. I've been learning German for the past two years and I'm finally making progress this past month. It feels good to see the results of a project that takes slow perseverance. A solid sense of accomplishment. For a quick boost, exercise in any form for a mood boost. And make more salads. I love this cookbook: https://www.amazon.com/Salad-Recipes-Simple-Salads-Dressings/dp/1922417610 Happy New Year everyone oder allen ein frohes neues Jahr!
What a beautiful tart, Lisa!
Regarding pomegranates, I sliced one this morning. Be thankful for small things--the pomegranate didn't stain the cutting board.
I am a fan of David Brooks. I don't see him as a conservative columnist--just someone who is willing to put himself out there, take risks.
I agree with Susan on doing concrete things regarding gender stuff. I will do that more, and try to stay off of the Twitter drama.
Spending more time in nature is another goal.
Substituting green tea for red wine.
Spending more time with heretics is a goal.
Happy 2024 to everyone!
Your cats are beautiful and impressive. I will Try to cut down on reading about trans stuff and be disciplined about going to the exercise class this year. Also keep working on getting my Afghan friend out of Pakistan to a safe country.
I got back into Buddhism this year which has helped. I backslid a lot during the pandemic. Still not good at mindfulness but I'm relearning emotional lessons I forgot. Reading has always provided sustainable. This year I read Trans, Helen Joyce's great book on the craze. Really beginning to see this as a lefty moral panic over homosexuality and feminism. It's really brought about the misogyny on the left as Trump made racism okay on the right. I think (hope!) that the Hamas/Israel War has really caused wokeness to jump the shark and reveal itself to be the morally bankrupt (in all ways) and that we can start dialing back the madness--the racism, misogyny, homophobia, antisemitism and other ills the left deluded itself were only on the right. MAGAs, woke--not much diff between the two anymore, they just can't agree on who's okay to hate.
Lisa, your newsletter is awesome and you really keep me up to date on the latest trans madness news. I would like to be a paid subscriber but it's always more expensive for Canadians with the exchange rate 😕
I’ve taken classes in pottery, crochet, photography, and will take a weaving class next. Trying to learn a skill to create has been great for taking my mind off the crazy.
Beautiful home and art. ❤️ thank you for the recommendations. Happy 2024.
BTW, just listened to that interview with David Brooks and notice much in it that aligns well with elements of how the group Braver Angels is trying to encourage individual Americans to realize about their ideological opponents. It was interesting to hear his interpretation of how his reserve was a thing about himself to shed. So, yeah, he changed. But also, perhaps it's worth reflecting on what might have changed about ourselves to be curious enough about him to want to listen with an open mind to an interview with him? Also, I had another thought: there is an interesting point during the interview where Brooks is talking about how very politically active individuals are frequently very lonely people (Notice how the interviewer expands that to "extrovert" types . . . we're all familiar with the intensely lonely celebrity, after all.). Anyway, I had just finished listening to a recent Theramin Trees analysis of "the savior complex," and it was like two "human nature" puzzle pieces snapping together rather handily . . . For lack of a better term, I would say there are a lot of "woke" activists out there whose loneliness and desire to save are drawing them into some pretty destructive behavior. And one can imagine that's going on a little bit on the opposite extreme (although, I'm inclined to think of most of the destructive behavior coming out of reactionary fear . . . ?) Of course, all the above is a huge broad brush . . . but it's a theory worth testing on the individuals we encounter, and helps to soften our temptation to judge harshly before we've gathered enough data on an individual, yes? (Sorry. meandering in the comments . . . ) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXcTIkuzQ3I Ooops. Ha ha! I jumped the gun, should have finished listening before writing this comment . . . I'm merely repeating the connections to Braver Angels mentioned later in the interview. (I was "Bringing Coals to Newcastle," as usual . . . tee hee)
I've been in Choir of the Earth, a digital choir out of London, for three years. We sing the "big works". We have a wonderful conductor who teaches us our part and then record ourselves. Check us out on youtube. I don't have access to singing this music in my small college town so am very grateful that a friend in London told me about it.
In promising early signs for 2024, Australians are getting out from under "no debate".
https://www.smh.com.au/national/don-t-desex-the-language-doctors-warn-of-danger-over-gender-inclusive-terms-20231219-p5esig.html
Your comment about liking David Brooks is interesting but not too surprising. I am observing a range of interesting political and intellectual realignments in response to events of the past 5-6 years.
This fall I began preparing my morning coffee, with beans fresh from a local roaster, using an Aeropress. An unexpected little joy!
Have you Gus seen this?
▶️ Watch this reel https://www.facebook.com/share/r/hrjNJWHd8TUiHP5R/?mibextid=UalRPS
Beautiful chocolate tart. That picture could be on a magazine cover. Are those kiwis? They are so pale compared to the usual translucent green.
Keep fighting the good fight, Lisa. Best to you and yours in the new year.
So lovely to read everyone's joy-and-sanity-bringing ways!
I love knitting, so that's definitely on my list. And I combine that with audio books of my favourite authors: Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, the older the better! :) Dorothy L. Sayers in particular is a fairly recent revelation - I can't recommend her enough!
Also on my definite non-gender list is reading more Wendell Berry and trying to put some of his advice into practice. I am drawn more and more towards the earth and all other non-human creation and the wisdom and beauty and generosity that it has. Just driving out of the megacity I'm in and into the country where there are no sidewalks and buildings, only trees and fields and grass and birds is healing for me.
May we all have a healthy year, physically, emotionally, and spiritually!
For me, finding solidarity with other gender critical women has been incredibly beneficial for my sanity. While I don’t sing, it feels so fortifying to harmonize with other voices. For an escape, I like to read authors from 50+ years ago. Iris Murdoch, for example. I find her thinking incredibly prescient (so prescient that it takes me right back to gender but that’s ok). Just now I read the following paragraph first published in 1964 as part of an essay called The Idea of Perfection. She wrote, “I wish in this discussion to attempt a movement of return, a retracing of our steps to see how a certain position was reached. The position in question, in current moral philosophy, is one which seems to me unsatisfactory in two related ways, in that it ignores certain facts and at the same time imposes a single theory which admits of no communication with or escape into rival theories. If it is true that philosophy has almost always done this, it is also true that philosophers have never put up with it for very long.” We can all draw some inspiration from that!
Thank you Lisa for all you do!
Small but important sanity savers for me are spending time with my cats, and dog, gardening, making bread, singing. Until my young adult daughter is freed from its spell, gender ideology will continue to preoccupy me, but I get comfort from the GDSN parent groups and listening to the wonderful Gender - A Wider Lens podcast
I’m starting the New Year by being a bit more selfish. I tend to be a caretaker- my husband, my dogs, my friends..I don’t prioritize myself in there. So, I’m going to try and remember to take care of business but also set aside time for painting (I’m a newer Plein air painter), creative doodling, walks by the ocean or in the desert and some girlfriend time just kicking around. My husband and I are making major changes in our life- simplifying, downsizing, uncomplicating. We’re in our 70s, so if we don’t do it now, someone else will do it for us. Who needs that aggravating noise! I want to pray more, watch the news less and stay in gratitude for the wonderful things God does for me every day, including you, Lisa. Thank you for the inspiration and courage to recognize the insanity around us and the ability to respond sanely and with compassion.
I've been taking accordion lessons for the last 12 years. Accordion music is happy even when it is sad. I also have had a duet partner on concertina for the last 6 years. We get together once a week to practice and play at assisted livings. She composes the harmonies and lots of new songs for us. We've learned 11 sets of music in 6 years.
What a beautiful thread! I just finished up a shopping spree at the Korean market. Bought some panchan to round out our NYE feast/movie marathon. Also stocked up on miso, umeboshi, and burdock root to kick off my 2024 mission to show some love to my microbiome. Wishing everyone a happy, healthy 2024!