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julieterbang

thepastatable__

treats

macrolit

“There are two ways to get enough. One is to continue to accumulate more and more. The other is to desire less.”

— G.K. Chesterton (b. 29 May 1874)

thingsorganizedneatly

Photographer Khánh Phan captures incense production in Hanoi, Vietnam. Beautiful!

jkottke

The Continuing Trauma of the Pandemic

Because of the remarkable Covid-19 vaccines, the pandemic is easing in America. In many parts of the country, things are returning to some semblance of normal, whatever that means. But many will continue to struggle and come to terms with what happened for awhile longer. Ed Yong, What Happens When Americans Can Finally Exhale:

But there is another crucial difference between May 2020 and May 2021: People have now lived through 14 months of pandemic life. Millions have endured a year of grief, anxiety, isolation, and rolling trauma. Some will recover uneventfully, but for others, the quiet moments after adrenaline fades and normalcy resumes may be unexpectedly punishing. When they finally get a chance to exhale, their breaths may emerge as sighs. “People put their heads down and do what they have to do, but suddenly, when there’s an opening, all these feelings come up,” Laura van Dernoot Lipsky, the founder and director of the Trauma Stewardship Institute, told me. Lipsky has spent decades helping people navigate the consequences of natural disasters, mass shootings, and other crises. “As hard as the initial trauma is,” she said, “it’s the aftermath that destroys people.”

And it wasn’t just the pandemic:

Not everyone will feel this way. Perhaps most Americans won’t. In past work, Silver, the UC Irvine psychologist, found that even communities that go through extreme traumas, such as years of daily rocket fire, can show low levels of PTSD. Three factors seem to protect them: confidence in authorities, a sense of belonging, and community solidarity. In the U.S., the pandemic eroded all three. It reduced trust in institutions, separated people from their loved ones, and widened political divisions. It was something of a self-reinforcing disaster, exacerbating the conditions that make recovery harder.

Also, let’s not forget: “Globally, the pandemic is set to kill more people in 2021 than in 2020.”

bookmania

“And I asked myself about the present: how wide it was, how deep it was, how much was mine to keep.”

— Kurt Vonnegut, Slaughterhouse-Five

humansofnewyork

“He had five daughters. And whenever he came home from a work trip, we’d all line up to give him a kiss. But he always kissed my mom first, because she was his ‘first love.’ Then he went on to his ‘second love,’ and his ‘third love.’ On weekends we’d all pile into the car and take these long road trips. We’d drive for hours, and the whole way he’d be singing to my mother. It was a normal thing for us, because we were used to it. But that kind of affection wasn’t normal in our culture. We used to have these karaoke parties with our extended family, and everyone else would sing normal songs. But Papa would choose these old, romantic Bollywood songs. And he’d sing directly to Mama. She loved every second of it. She’d get dressed up for him. She’d put on her brightest red lipstick. And she’d do her hair just as he liked it, even after she got sick. The tumor was deep in her brain. After every surgery, more and more of her would slip away. When she couldn’t walk properly anymore, she grew embarrassed of her limp. So Papa held her hand wherever they went. He’d sit next to her bed, and stroke her cheek, and recite the Quran until his lips went dry. Some nights he’d fall asleep sitting up in his chair, but then he’d wake up, and begin praying again. In her final moments, when she was slipping away, he leaned close to her and whispered: ‘You won’t be alone. I’m coming with you.’ I heard him say it. And I got so angry. It seemed selfish to me, as if the rest of us weren’t worth living for. But all his children were grown. Most of us had our own families. And I guess he felt like there was nothing left for him. Every day he visited Mama’s grave, even though we told him not to. He applied for the plot next to her, and every few hours he’d ask if the cemetery had called. He was obsessed. When the paperwork finally arrived, I rolled my eyes. But he got very quiet. For the next two days he barely said a word. Then on the third morning, he walked in our front door and told me he wasn’t feeling well. I bent down to help him with his shoes, but he collapsed on the floor. There wasn’t time for him to suffer. Because by the time the ambulance arrived, he was already gone.”

wordsnquotes

I do not miss childhood, but I miss the way I took pleasure in small things, even as greater things crumbled. I could not control the world I was in, could not walk away from things or people or moments that hurt, but I took joy in the things that made me happy.

Neil Gaiman, The Ocean at the End of the Lane (via wordsnquotes)

juliaccarpenter

The world remains continuous; nothing changes on any particular midnight, no matter how glitzy the countdown.

The Worst Year Ever, Until Next Year, on The New Yorker

(always read @jiatolentino)

newyorker

Now is the time to counter lies with facts, repeatedly and unflaggingly, while also proclaiming the greater truths: of our equal humanity, of decency, of compassion. Every precious ideal must be reiterated, every obvious argument made, because an ugly idea left unchallenged begins to turn the color of normal.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, “Now Is The Time To Talk About What We Are Actually Talking About” (via newyorker)

crystallineknowledge

This is my thought for you for tonight. The testament is dreams do come true. Anything you want is out there for you to just reach out in the stars of Bella Donna and just grab one, because it is all there. You must continue to believe that you can have what you want. Don’t ever let anybody tell you that you’re not talented enough or smart enough or any of that, because you are. You’re totally beautiful. You’re totally talented. You can do anything you want. Never let anybody get in your way. Tell them to get out of your way. You are on your way to greater things.

Stevie Nicks, Madison Square Garden - December 1, 2016. (via crystallineknowledge)

bookriot

I want to tell girls that they matter, even if not everyone treats them that way. And that, yes, the world may not always take care of them or value them, so they must take care of themselves. And they must value and take care of each other. This becomes even more urgent in a world where a majority of white women voted for Trump despite the terrible consequences for their sisters. We witnessed a colossal failure of empathy this election, and I do not know how to explain that to girls either. I do know that it’s my job as a children’s book writer to be as inclusive as I can, to promote empathy and community, and to do everything I can to uplift stories by writers from marginalized communities so all girls see each other. There are battles ahead, and girls need to know that they are strong, that they are worth fighting for, and they need to know that all women deserve justice, equality, and dignity—and that the fight for justice, equality, and dignity belongs to all of us. I’m staring at my manuscripts and trying to figure out how to tell girls, “It will be okay. You are okay. And you have the power to make things better, and so grab hands and stick together.” I don’t know the answer, but I owe it to them to keep trying to find it. – Anne Ursu, author of THE REAL BOY

from 18 Middle Grade Authors on Writing Girl Characters After Election (via bookriot)

weloveshortvideos

natashalyonne

tattly

5 Years Old and Always Learning!

For our 5th Birthday, our fantastic and ever inspiring founder Tina Roth Eisenberg (aka. Swissmiss) reflected on what she’s learned since launching Tattly’s first 15 designs 5 years ago. Here are her top 5 lessons:

#1: Trust Breeds Magic From the beginning days of Tattly I hired young, motivated smart folks, that were as excited as I am about developing a physical product company. None of them had any prior experience, but they had some serious HUSTLE. We all learned as we went along. I trusted them with building Tattly, sometimes with things I probably shouldn’t have trusted them with. But that’s ok, because trust is the biggest compliment of all. Over the past few years, this theory of mine has proven successful: Hire young folks that thrive when asked to figure stuff out, that are motivated and self-driven. Then, simply step out of their way. Let them know you trust them and watch them embrace the challenges and watch them over deliver. Trust breeds magic!

#2: Layer of Love The extra layer of love gives the product soul. At Tattly we try to sprinkle the possibility of a smile into everything we do. How? If you subscribe to our newsletter, you might have noticed our love for puns! Ever ordered something online? Then you might have spotted the messenger pigeon coordinates on your invoice! Have you ever stumbled upon our Error 404 page? You should! Or my favorite: A few years ago, we launched an Invisible Tattly on April Fools day, designed by a magician. Just thinking about it still makes me laugh! I believe that these little possibilities of a chuckle are what give our brand soul.

#3: Confetti Never underestimate the power of confetti. I firmly believe that every business needs a confetti drawer. When you order from Tattly.com, during checkout you have the option of adding confetti to your order. And sometimes we randomly add some to an order, because we think customers will appreciate it. But don’t worry, when we do, we do it respectfully and are always sure to include a “CAUTION CONFETTI INSIDE” sticker on the package. Because, you know, messy!

#4: $ales You have to embrace inventory tracking. And sales. When you sell a physical good you need to know how many you have in stock. At all times. Seems trivial? Well, it took me a few years to finally implement a inventory management system (Netsuite). Best thing we’ve ever done. And, then just this year, I finally embraced selling as an art form. Guess what, your product doesn’t sell itself. You have to tell people about it. I had to learn that you can do see in really elegant, tasteful and fun ways.

#5: It Takes a Small Village It takes a small village to run a product company. When I started Tattly I had no idea what I was getting myself into. Being a User Interface Designer, I knew nothing about selling physical goods. I assumed that at the most I might end up with a company that I could feed with two pizzas, meaning 6 people max. False. We are currently 12 full timers and 4 part time helpers. We could easily hire 3 more people but have to hold out until our sales allow us to. Tattly is an entirely bootstrapped company and every new full-time hire is a milestone. Just like raising kids, it takes a small village to run a company like Tattly. I keep wondering where we will be at when we turn 10!

*** Not only does Tina run Tattly, but she also founded and runs CreativeMornings, TeuxDeux, and her Brooklyn based co-working space Friends.You can keep up with Tina aka. Swissmiss on Twitter or Instagram, and delight in her daily finds over on her blog, swiss-miss.com.

solittlelibrary

Life and business lessons from Tattly