Radish Ravish.

May 21, 2012 in Gardening, Sustainable Living | 2 comments

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Pink, white, red, and lavender radishes are popping up all around the end of May. These guys should win your heart because 1) they are the earliest, fastest vegetables you can grow 2) they tell us spring is almost through 3) they are super fast germinators and you can use them to mark rows. Who doesn’t love a tidy mess of a garden?
Radishes need lots of water to keep them growing quickly, and quick growth keeps them from becoming too hot or catching disease.
They even come in an heirloom variety called French Breakfast, which is really hard to dislike in itself. If you’re thinking about it, plant a few seeds and get in the mode…they need full sun to light shade. If you aren’t feeling the planting vibe, try a knife. The fine British garden writer Joy Larkcom says that in China, radishes are carved into roses and sold as street snacks. If you find you have a knack for radish sculpture after reading this, please let me know. I will send you a letter of respect.

Takes Practice

May 8, 2012 in Community, Grace, Reviews | 1 comment

They say it takes 10,000 hours of practice to become an expert in anything. Mechanics. Systems management. Baking bread. Whatever your work is, chances are you weren’t an immediate expert. Good maybe, but not expert. Kind of hopeful.

Was reading an article aimed at researchers in a rut called ‘The Valley of Shit’. You’ve either been there or are there. It’s a place where you want to give up, and for a fat minute (or week or month) you lose perspective with your work. If you have people in your life who tell you the truth, and you still find yourself with negating thoughts…

“You are probably not the right person to judge the value of your project or your competence right now.” -Dr. Inger Mewburn

Picture Jack Black as Mr. Schneebly telling you this. It will make you laugh. You will feel a little less serious. And then somehow you willingly return to what you started.

The point? Do not stop walking. Do not feel lonely. Do not expect yourself to be an expert at hour 4,548 when your wise mind knows it takes 10,000. And the good news is the valley ends.

In the meanwhile, enjoy H+H Down in the Valley and start your practice. It feels very right to do something that is ancient and good. This is you cultivating something out of nothing. This is your work.

 

Crazy Love.

April 2, 2012 in Grace | 2 comments

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This sentence found me today in a letter. It was from someone who is leaving. “Let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith.” (Hebrews 12:1-2)

Quite timely. I think we are all leaving something.

So I tried something new on the date of birth…moving miles for years. Because I am pretty thankful to be alive. And thankful for beauty and rest and something better to believe than commercials. Thankful to be loved without doing…anything. So I swam a little, biked a little, ran a little. And now I’m planning to take it easy and celebrate a little.

I’m glad I don’t have to perfect myself. I have nothing important to say, just kind of sunburnt and full of endorphins. Which is not a bad place to be.

And this is the pictorial confirmation: 26 birthday miles by land ( 16 B, 10 R). Plus 1.2 miles by sea…pool. This watch is retro and doesn’t work in the water, but that part happened. Promise.

Today has been quick and curious and playful and strong. And brilliantly sunny. This might be my last birthday in St. Louis, might not be, but whatever it is, faith leads us on.

Running Artemis

March 10, 2012 in Creativity, Research Briefs | Leave a comment

One of my favorite run routes will always be to the art museum…which involves a quick spin inside if it’s not too early. And today, a really old sculpture just begged for a deeper look into human movement.

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When you look at biomechanics, humans are only mediocre runners…distance traveled per pound of weight we carry takes a lot of energy. So why would we run? We’re poor sprinters compared to horses, greyhounds, and antelope. But with longer distances efficiency improves, and running speeds between us (humans) and them (quadrupeds) are pretty comparable.

ImageEndurance running (moving many miles over extended time using aerobic metabolism) is our anatomical specialty. Over longer distances, running becomes less costly than walking by using a mass-spring mechanism that allows the legs to flex and extend more, and there is a greater exchange of kinetic and potential energy.

The distance that a fit human can routinely cover (roughly 6 miles) is largely impossible for any other primate. Kind of cool, I think.

Endurance running takes energetics, strength, stabilization, and thermoregulation. We’re perfect for it. We have long legs relative to our body mass. We have a foot arch to create spring. Plus large quads and glutes to create power and enhance trunk stabilization. We breathe through our mouth instead of panting or nasal breathing (that’s just too much darn resistance) to unload our heat. So in case you ever doubted your running capabilities, sit on the fence no longer. You are highly specialized.

 

And this is what I listened to at the museum. It feels kind of right to look at art with it playing.

Shoe Up.

February 12, 2012 in Community, Creativity, Grace | Tags: | Leave a comment

Was reading an article on advice to young photographers. I have no idea what I’m doing with a camera, let’s be honest. But since photos, good or bad, always seem to give something to write about, I think photography and writing are pretty inseparable.

So the top two pieces of advice from accomplished photographers? 

Wear good shoes.

Fall in love.

I like this idea very much. It frees you to walk  anywhere, explore your limits. (After a little thought, these are decidedly my 3 most over-worn shoes.)

There are people who want to and probably should be looked at. But to write, to observe…I’m more interested in looking.
Plus, I think a good shoe  is one you don’t notice.

And what about love? It keeps you sensitive, aware, ready to interact and grab hold of the present. It makes us notice ourselves less and others more. It’s the center of our functional capacity…it’s easy to invest in what we love, right? It’s the why behind our actions.

I want to fall a little more in love with my neighborhood. And my work. My family. My community. And even when we think we repeatedly fail at it, love is at the very heart of us. It sometimes just requires a little walking.

 

“Love is patient. Love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast. It is not proud, it is not rude, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices in the the truth. It always trusts, always protects, always perseveres. Love never fails.” 1 Cor 13

Natural Ignition

February 4, 2012 in Creativity, Grace | Leave a comment

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Starting the spring design bucket this rainy morning. Which means pulling out things that inspire. There is nothing rational or scientific about it.

Maybe it’s a way of trying to stop charting God on a grid. Maybe it lets the heart sit in gratitude. Whatever it is, it’s igniting a good bit of hope.

Espresso Chili

January 25, 2012 in Community, Eating Lower On the Food Chain, Recipes | 4 comments

Was waiting for public transpo in the freezing rain. Lost my gloves. Then recognized an old friend. She is back after living in India on a mango farm. Somehow, we now work in the same building. She tells me stories full of community and beauty…and mangoes. We laugh a lot and feel much less cold. Not a bad end to the day.

So I’m finally home and soggy and need to get a little more done before bed, so I am making a hearty espresso chili: black beans, tomatoes, cup of strong coffee, chili powder, brown sugar, onion, water. Voila.

Not only is this plant-based combination high in iron, but its spicy-sweet flavor will keep your tummy satisfied with its substantial amount of fiber and protein.

And definitely need to use up the winter greens hiding in the back of the fridge. So. Easy.

Spoon the chili on top of steamed kale for extra vitamin K, which aids in the incorporation of calcium into your bones.

Simple. Sweet. Hearty. Healthy. This day has been a fortunate series of events. Learning to walk with the eyes a little more open, even when it’s dark and rainy. Never lose faith, life is full of surprises. And maybe even mango for dessert.

A Drafter At Heart

January 22, 2012 in Creativity | 2 comments

Only after Long Run Sunday can I sit in contentment with tired feet (in hiker man socks, I know) and a partially finished document in my lap. And I’m trying to get at what really makes a first draft so hard. Is it knowing that your work is heavily flawed, probably full of inconsistent reasoning, but took your best effort and requires letting go? Who really wants to do that…but life is full of first drafts.
Recipes, parties, art, conversation, gardens, goals, schedules. None of them will ever be perfect. It likely will feel a little unfinished. But I think we grow stronger every time we scare ourselves a little and ship one out.
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Cover Thoughts

January 14, 2012 in Grace | Leave a comment

Was talking with a friend yesterday and learned that I don’t blog enough for her to actually read my writing. And I thought, okay, awesome. Telling it like it is. Can’t really beat that. I think it’s pretty healthy to have people in our lives with less of a filter than our own. And that’s one of the many reasons I like her. But it also made me realize some barriers keeping me from writing more, too. Like saying there’s a lot on my mind, a lot to get done, and kind of getting lost in it. But quite often, writing feels like the “anti-lost”. So I think the conversation was meant to happen.

It’s afternoon reading and nap time on this glorious frigid Saturday, and the covers are no stranger. Caught something beautiful from Anais Nin: “We do not grow absolutely, chronologically. We grow sometimes in one dimension, and not in another; unevenly. We grow partially. We are relative. We are mature in one realm, childish in another.” Sobering. We run after goals and sink into training plans, but can neglect some pretty substantial stuff. Like overlooking barriers to doing what we love. Growth is slow, painful, clarifying. Which makes me think there are some things we cannot learn alone.

Rivers and Roads

January 10, 2012 in Community | 3 comments

There are a few things to always be sure of. 1) The weather in Galway. 2) The deliciousness of sweet potatoes. 3) Things change.

If you read through enough old letters or scroll through your phone book, this feeling hits…the reality that the people you want to see every day aren’t always the ones you get to. And those who are your go-to dinner company after a bad day  right now will probably one day be the ones you have to board a plane to see. It’s this unpredictable beautiful sphere of relationship.

So when I heard this song, I kind of wanted to lose the excuses, grab the neck of some Schalfly, and give a good cheers to friends and family who are not as close as circumstance would have it. So I did. (Don’t worry, it was a high quality coffee stout reserved for the event that I ever get published or if someone awesome dies.) I hope you make some time to do the same.

No matter who we are, we need connection, community. Which is a very beautiful thing. Until then, there are always car-trips. Plane-rides. Phone-calls. Infinite amounts of modern junk/kind of useful phone applications, and yes, even creepy Greyhounds to bring us a little closer to the people we love. But one day, I am very sure it will all be right.

Enjoy one of my favorites, The Head and the Heart. This is a soulful little tune. I especially love the ending.

 

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