Aug15

a form of action.

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after my recent post

about waiting a long time for ice cream

i had yet another epic episode of waiting

when i stopped by the post office

(i honestly love the post office, the joy of mailing things… )

the photo above shows how many postal workers

were at the counter when i walked in

i read the sign and waited

what if there is no available clerk?

what if there is no clerk at all?

still waiting

 i’m not a person who minds waiting in line

 usually end up bonding with the line

at a certain point in the process

we support each other

by talking, guessing how long it will take

showing pictures, imagining scenarios

the line kept getting longer

and

yet longer

not one person left

a man sitting in a chair

called out

‘what happened?’

every so often.

one person called home to say

‘we’re here in line and there’s one working at the post office.’

we finally saw one worker

walk from the back to the counter

she’d been getting a pile of mail

for the man in the chair

this friendly smiling young woman

announced to our line

‘i’m the only person here until 11.’

it was 10:10

she was un-frazzled

stayed calm and professional

another person in line

called the post office from their cell phone

thinking another worker in back might pick it up

no one answered because their one employee

was at the counter

helping our long line

we reassured her

we weren’t upset with her

amazed how well she was handling it

she quietly called up each person

when it was finally my turn

i told the line

 my business would be quick

one responded

‘that’s what they all say!’

now the whole line

was laughing together

no one was upset

they were happy

when it only took a couple of minutes

to get my package on its way

right before i left

i noticed a mini post office

very detailed

made of

paper and cardboard and paint

set up on her counter

i asked who had made this

she told me it was her

wow

now this is someone

who loves her job

 is an artist

has incredible patience

even under pressure

 i would like to nominate her

to be the postmaster.

‘patience is also a form of action.’

 -auguste rodin

Aug14

‘between the wish and the thing the world lies wating.’ – Cormac McCarthy

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still waiting on the front porch

for the ice cream truck

to come down our street

i hear

 the faint sound

of chimes

in the distance

any minute now…

—

 

“Oh, how long Me seems it, ere the promis’d help arrive!”
-Dante, The Divine Comedy, (Virgil character)

 

 

 

 

 

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on a neighborhood walk in ann arbor, michigan, usa – summer 2026

 

Aug13

direction.

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near saugatauck, michigan, usa

—

seeing as my nickname

is peaches

people will know

where to find me

if they take their time

and

head in my direction.

 

—

‘direction is so much more important than speed, you can go fast in the wrong direction.’

-r.l.

 

 

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photo credit: jk

 

Aug12

bloom.

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beauty and flowers in kyiv, ukraine, art by maria golub

beauty and flowers in michigan, found on my walk

(some of the biggest blooms i have ever seen, look at the pink flower to see the scale)

—

slava, ukraini!

—

‘peace is not just the absence of violence, peace is when the flowers bloom.’

-amrita pritam

Mariya Golub lives in Kyiv, Ukraine. In 2018, Mariya graduated from the National Academy of Fine Arts and Architecture.’I have been drawing since I was three years old. The first time I tried to scratch a horse with a stick on a green leaf of a tree. I saw horses everywhere, flowers and clouds turned into horses for me, because I thought a lot about them.’ – MG

Amrita Pritam (1919 – 2005) was an Indian novelist, essayist and poet, who wrote in Punjabi and Hindi. She has written more than a hundred books and was the recipient of the 1956 Sahitya Akademi Award.

Aug11

ablest navigator.

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Cat jumping, Salford, UK, 1957, photo by Neil Libbert

—

‘the winds and waves are always on the side of the ablest navigators.’

-edward gibbon

 

*Neil Libbert was born in Salford, UK in 1938, He studied at the College of Art in Manchester before starting to work as a photographer and opening his own studio in Manchester. Neil later joined the staff of the Manchester Guardian newspaper in London, and became a freelance photographer.

Neil has photographed the great and the good and some of his work is held in the National Portrait Gallery. But Neil’s enduring reputation was made through his street photography and reportage, which includes his coverage of the Brixton riots in 1981.
In 1999, he was Nikon News Photographer of the Year and won a World Press Photo Award for his exclusive coverage of the Soho pub bombings. Neil has also received an award for his coverage of the homeless, which he took in his home town of Salford.

*Edward Gibbon (1737-1794) was a British essayist, historian and politician. His most important and influential work, The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, was published in six volumes between 1776 and 1789, to critical and commercial success. It is known for the quality and irony of its prose.

 

 

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Aug10

national lazy day.

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National Lazy Day (yes, it’s real), arrives every August 10, offering a much-needed pause from our always-on world. This is your official permission to ditch responsibilities, ignore chores, avoid work, and fully embrace the art of relaxation. So, kick back, put your feet up, and savor a day of blissful inactivity. Feel free to celebrate! I’ve provided a list of helpful vocabulary to throw around when discussing the holiday with those who might need a greater understanding of the concept. (Both home and work options below.) Pro Tip: If you have already begun your celebration, you can always wait to read this post until tomorrow. 

 Fancy words for lazy:

Indolent: Avoiding work because you prefer a state of comfort.

Languid: Moving in a slow, peaceful, and unhurried way.

Torpid: Being very slow and inactive, like an animal sleeping.

Oscitant: Drowsy and yawning, showing a highbrow form of inattentiveness. 

-Merriam-Webster

British words for lazy:

 Layabout: An idle, lazy person who avoids physical or mental exhaustion or to try to  get a job.

Skiver: Someone who avoids work or dodges their duties by trickery or playing hooky.

Work-shy: An adjective and noun style term used for someone who actively avoids doing any form of work. 

-Cambridge

Traditional Slang and Nouns for Lazy:

Slacker: Someone who avoids work and effort.

Couch Potato: A person who spends a lot of time sitting or lying down, watching TV.

Lazybones: A harmless, old-fashioned name for a lazy person.

Goldbrick: Someone who shirks duty or pretends to work.

Workplace Nicknames for Lazy:

KitKat: Used for someone who is always taking a break.

Sensor Light (or Motion Light): Describes a person who only starts working when someone in authority walks past.

Wheelbarrow: Someone who only moves or works when they are pushed.

E.T.: Refers to someone whose main goal all day is trying to “go home”.

Seaweed: Used for a worker who just floats around the office all day doing nothing.

Cordless: Describes someone who works unplugged or only functions for a couple of hours before dying out. 

#1 Laziest Animal in the world: Pygmy Blue Tongue Lizard

Pygmy blue tongue lizards don’t enjoy interacting with the rest of the world, and they’re hyper-cautious about predation. The skittish pygmy blue tongues spend their lives hanging out in spider caves and don’t leave unless forced. For sustenance, they sit with their mouths open and wait for food to fall in. The same goes for water; they rely on raindrops landing on their tongues.

—

‘doing nothing is very hard. you never know when you are finished.’

-leslie nielsen, american actor

 

 

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image credit: malta rabbit club

Aug9

nature library.

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All libraries are good libraries – but there’s one that just opened near Denver that’s as much of a destination for nature lovers as it is for book lovers. Called the Anythink Nature Library, the 15-acre campus is home to a calming darkroom, a nature lab, an indoor-outdoor cafe, gardens, a mud pit, and a mile-long loop trail (as well as plenty of books, of course).

According to the website, it’s the nation’s first public nature library, with a mission to “help people of all ages discover their connection to the natural world.” The building itself is a testament to that vision, as it features hundreds of solar panels, bird-safe glass, and geothermal heating and cooling.

Patrons are invited to check out hammocks, telescopes, tents, and other experience kits dubbed “TryIts” so people can explore the outdoors without having to spend on pricey gear. “Public libraries have always evolved alongside the needs of their communities,” Mark Fink, executive director of Anythink Libraries, said in a statement. “The Nature Library represents the next evolution: a place where books, nature, science, and community come together to inspire curiosity and connection.” Take a look around the grounds.

‘there is no greater beauty or charm than what we find in nature.’

-todd romano

 

 

 

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source credits: Anythink Nature Library, nicenews

Aug7

more.

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MORE LOVE

MORE UNITY

MORE DANCING.

—

three things we all could use more of

last night in detroit at a rally

celebrating the primary election wins

 uniting the party

 heading into the midterm elections

in 87 days

—

‘it’s never too late to begin living more courageously.’

-brendon burchard

 

 

Aug7

interesting objects.

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the bike has moved into the garden

the chair has moved to the side of the road

the dinosaur has moved to the patio

 watching over the solar power

—

what do a bike, a chair, and a dinosaur have in common?

they are all objects found along the way

on an afternoon walk

that seemed to want to stay

none of them are far from home.

—

‘curiosity is natural to the soul of man

and interesting objects have a powerful influence on our affections.’

-daniel boone

*Daniel Boone ( 1734 – 1820) was an American pioneer and frontiersman whose exploits made him one of the first folk heroes  of the United States. He became famous for his exploration and settlement of Kentucky, which was then beyond the western border of the Thirteen Colonies.

 

Aug6

hut.

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perhaps everyone could use a writing hut from time to time..

  • roald dahl had one too 

where to you go to write and have your own space in the world?

—

‘i go down to my little hut, where it’s tight and dark and warm,

and within minutes

i can go back to being six or seven or eight again.’

-roald dahl

 

 

 

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image credit: historyhustle

 

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