I don’t subscribe to the site the Megan Fernandes poem is on, so i couldn’t finish reading it. I’ve googled it but can’t find it anywhere else. I will subscribe to the site if this is the only place it exists but just curious elsewhere.
I loved that B & N article. Makes me so happy to see them flourishing again. Our local store has gotten a makeover in the last few weeks and it definitely looks like good signs of life in there.
And I’m also off of social this month. I have been having what feels like the longest, slowest conversation with myself and Jesus about whether or not to stay “connected” there or not...I think you and I have briefly messaged about this very thing. I have no answers yet--just enjoying the time away and trying to determine my next steps. Grateful for this little rundown of goodness you shared. Grateful for you!
Love the article about B & N- I have been returning to brick and mortar shopping more and more and B & N has returned to being a staple. I reconnected with the joy of simply looking and discovering instead of being led by what I see on social. It's a small step but one that is trickling down to other areas. I'd leave social all together(ditched FB 7 yrs ago and haven't looked back, ditched Twitter when it lost it's mind and ditto) but Instagram is the only marketing tool I use for promoting my self published work. If there was another way I'd sign off that as well!
What are you loving these days? What have you read or seen or listened to that’s tickling your fancy or sticking to your brain or heart long after you walk away?
I am reading "The wisdom of donkeys," by Andy Merrifield. It is a charming, restful account of Merrifield and his donkey Gribouille, journeying through the Auvergne. Reading, I am removed from the present place of stresses and racing time. It makes me reminisce about childhood" adventures" in Germany, a slower, innocent life I once knew. And the book brings surprising characteristics of donkeys to the thought life, things that have biblical wisdom.
yes, Indeed! Letters, cards, news-clippings, fabric scraps, ....anything in an envelope with our names on the front!! Love mail.
P.s. I agree on the pretend poetry, just because poetry is popular right now. Not that my haiku are deep and profound, but they have been thought over and rearranged to suit my eyes.
Snail mail and poetry are two of my great loves. Having been an English literature major, I’m partial to English poets (Keats, Tennyson, Coleridge etc.) Social media has sadly disrupted and diluted too much of my ability to focus when reading, so I’m going to slow myself down and retrain my brain and perhaps more importantly, to reconnect with people and myself through more snail mail and poetry this year. Any recommendation on American poets?
Do it! Some of my favorite American poets (oh there are so many!), Richard Wilbur, Wendell Berry, Denise Levertov, Adrienne Rich, Joy Harjo, just to name a few =)
Nooo it's not curmudgeonly to dislike instagram "poetry". I'm married to a man who teaches literature to Harvard undergrads, and there are indeed long historical standards & definitions for english poetry. Randomized line breaks have never been it 😂
I definitely see a parallel with social media and Barnes and noble. It seems we’re all searching and begging for authenticity and “the personal.” Which, in their original forms, social media allowed for more of that - connection to your friends from high school when going to college, keeping updated with weddings and pregnancies of those you love, but could not attend or visit often. We’re attracted because it seems to allow more connection. Once these tools become monetized and mechanized, we lose whatever authenticity and personal connections that once were there. I agree with James Daunt - books aren’t overpriced...and to that, neither is connection. I don’t need ads and 10 second videos and endless scrolling to enhance my connection with friends.
I’ve been off fb for 6 years, maybe? I quit IG in June 2021. I don’t have any socials...now I just text my friends and ask for updates and send photos and FaceTime when possible.
Thanks for sharing that article about B&N--it never would have come across my radar otherwise and I really enjoyed it. We have a good indie bookstore here, but it is highly curated and doesn’t always have what I’m looking for. I was one of those people who went back to shopping at the local B&N in the pandemic and it did feel different but I couldn’t put my finger on why.
Love this post! I recently went back to Twitter, primarily for information. I have no intention of trying to “build a platform” there. I still enjoy IG, but it’s not what it used to be, and I’m not very active these days. However, I am participating there in a War and Peace readalong, and I’m really enjoying it. I’m with you on the poetry.
I’m also on a social media break for January. I did some serious soul-searching the first week when I was SO twitchy without it. The dopamine thing is real. But what I realized (and wrote about at length in my Substack) is that IG in its current iteration behaves like a machine perpetuating narcissistic abuse. There are wonderful people in the IG world, but I’m really pondering if it’s worth going back at all, even in the name of “platform” building. I still find plenty of ways to waste time but am generally less stressed and have been reading and baking (and sleeping) more.
"Narcissistic abuse" is what has turned me off many a social media platform. Even what I thought would be good places to engage with people. Likeminded people, or so I expected. These "forums" are abused for self-aggrandizing rants and so boring and so annoying! It saddens me that people believe they cannot do without. Oh the peace and self-governing of my owned time I have gained by cutting such things off from my "must-have." A good book, a rich blog like this one, are gifts for my soul and creativity. Thank you Lore!
When I was reading and thinking what to reply, I was clicking on the various links you provided (not all :) Some I find very interesting and some I couldn't finish reading. But that is exactly what I like about your writings! Identifying with much, yet not all, since we are, after all, uniquely created :) and for God's purposes. And to be in community at the same time. The embrace of one idea, and casting off another, reminded me of knitting. Yes knitting :) Once, I knitted Frog and Toad for my granddaughter, and in that process, I realized how sometimes we must cast off, or undo those stitches that make the process of completing the entire creation take an unuseful, unsightly path. While it saddened me to "give up" all that hard won progress (or so I thought), it also occurred to me that it must happen to my own benefit. And the end result.
Surprisingly, I have not missed Instagram since I quit last summer. I have logged back in four-ish different times for specific reasons, been completely overwhelmed, and promptly deleted the app as soon as I could.
I will be praying for you, Lore. You’re doing a lot and your work is needed.
Same. I logged in a few times this month to grab and address or phone number, and promptly shuddered and logged back out. You're doing a lot too, my friend. Keep doing good work.
I appreciated this piece. I am on a much needed social media break currently and when I think about returning, your account is at the top of my reasons why. Thankful to read some of your words today.
Sooooo....if I wasn't there, maybe there would be fewer reasons to return? It's worth thinking about (for me at least). Like, I'm culpable too for people who like to follow along and stay on the app for that reason. It makes me even more inclined to log off semi-permanently.
Definitely fewer reasons to return. There a handful of accounts I enjoy for inspiration but ultimately the anxiety and comparison seem too high a price for inspiration. I do miss the old instagram.
I don’t subscribe to the site the Megan Fernandes poem is on, so i couldn’t finish reading it. I’ve googled it but can’t find it anywhere else. I will subscribe to the site if this is the only place it exists but just curious elsewhere.
I loved that B & N article. Makes me so happy to see them flourishing again. Our local store has gotten a makeover in the last few weeks and it definitely looks like good signs of life in there.
And I’m also off of social this month. I have been having what feels like the longest, slowest conversation with myself and Jesus about whether or not to stay “connected” there or not...I think you and I have briefly messaged about this very thing. I have no answers yet--just enjoying the time away and trying to determine my next steps. Grateful for this little rundown of goodness you shared. Grateful for you!
Love the article about B & N- I have been returning to brick and mortar shopping more and more and B & N has returned to being a staple. I reconnected with the joy of simply looking and discovering instead of being led by what I see on social. It's a small step but one that is trickling down to other areas. I'd leave social all together(ditched FB 7 yrs ago and haven't looked back, ditched Twitter when it lost it's mind and ditto) but Instagram is the only marketing tool I use for promoting my self published work. If there was another way I'd sign off that as well!
Your question
What are you loving these days? What have you read or seen or listened to that’s tickling your fancy or sticking to your brain or heart long after you walk away?
I am reading "The wisdom of donkeys," by Andy Merrifield. It is a charming, restful account of Merrifield and his donkey Gribouille, journeying through the Auvergne. Reading, I am removed from the present place of stresses and racing time. It makes me reminisce about childhood" adventures" in Germany, a slower, innocent life I once knew. And the book brings surprising characteristics of donkeys to the thought life, things that have biblical wisdom.
yes, Indeed! Letters, cards, news-clippings, fabric scraps, ....anything in an envelope with our names on the front!! Love mail.
P.s. I agree on the pretend poetry, just because poetry is popular right now. Not that my haiku are deep and profound, but they have been thought over and rearranged to suit my eyes.
Snail mail and poetry are two of my great loves. Having been an English literature major, I’m partial to English poets (Keats, Tennyson, Coleridge etc.) Social media has sadly disrupted and diluted too much of my ability to focus when reading, so I’m going to slow myself down and retrain my brain and perhaps more importantly, to reconnect with people and myself through more snail mail and poetry this year. Any recommendation on American poets?
Do it! Some of my favorite American poets (oh there are so many!), Richard Wilbur, Wendell Berry, Denise Levertov, Adrienne Rich, Joy Harjo, just to name a few =)
Nooo it's not curmudgeonly to dislike instagram "poetry". I'm married to a man who teaches literature to Harvard undergrads, and there are indeed long historical standards & definitions for english poetry. Randomized line breaks have never been it 😂
I definitely see a parallel with social media and Barnes and noble. It seems we’re all searching and begging for authenticity and “the personal.” Which, in their original forms, social media allowed for more of that - connection to your friends from high school when going to college, keeping updated with weddings and pregnancies of those you love, but could not attend or visit often. We’re attracted because it seems to allow more connection. Once these tools become monetized and mechanized, we lose whatever authenticity and personal connections that once were there. I agree with James Daunt - books aren’t overpriced...and to that, neither is connection. I don’t need ads and 10 second videos and endless scrolling to enhance my connection with friends.
I’ve been off fb for 6 years, maybe? I quit IG in June 2021. I don’t have any socials...now I just text my friends and ask for updates and send photos and FaceTime when possible.
Thanks for sharing that article about B&N--it never would have come across my radar otherwise and I really enjoyed it. We have a good indie bookstore here, but it is highly curated and doesn’t always have what I’m looking for. I was one of those people who went back to shopping at the local B&N in the pandemic and it did feel different but I couldn’t put my finger on why.
Love this post! I recently went back to Twitter, primarily for information. I have no intention of trying to “build a platform” there. I still enjoy IG, but it’s not what it used to be, and I’m not very active these days. However, I am participating there in a War and Peace readalong, and I’m really enjoying it. I’m with you on the poetry.
how can I join on this War and Peace readalong?
It’s being hosted on Instagram by @footnotes.and.tangents (Simon Haisell). Hashtags are #WhiskeyAndPerseverance and #WarAndPeace2023. 🙂
A War and Peace read along sounds like a VERY fruitful use of Twitter!
I’m also on a social media break for January. I did some serious soul-searching the first week when I was SO twitchy without it. The dopamine thing is real. But what I realized (and wrote about at length in my Substack) is that IG in its current iteration behaves like a machine perpetuating narcissistic abuse. There are wonderful people in the IG world, but I’m really pondering if it’s worth going back at all, even in the name of “platform” building. I still find plenty of ways to waste time but am generally less stressed and have been reading and baking (and sleeping) more.
Really appreciated your thoughts on NA and Instagram =)
"Narcissistic abuse" is what has turned me off many a social media platform. Even what I thought would be good places to engage with people. Likeminded people, or so I expected. These "forums" are abused for self-aggrandizing rants and so boring and so annoying! It saddens me that people believe they cannot do without. Oh the peace and self-governing of my owned time I have gained by cutting such things off from my "must-have." A good book, a rich blog like this one, are gifts for my soul and creativity. Thank you Lore!
Thank you for being here!
When I was reading and thinking what to reply, I was clicking on the various links you provided (not all :) Some I find very interesting and some I couldn't finish reading. But that is exactly what I like about your writings! Identifying with much, yet not all, since we are, after all, uniquely created :) and for God's purposes. And to be in community at the same time. The embrace of one idea, and casting off another, reminded me of knitting. Yes knitting :) Once, I knitted Frog and Toad for my granddaughter, and in that process, I realized how sometimes we must cast off, or undo those stitches that make the process of completing the entire creation take an unuseful, unsightly path. While it saddened me to "give up" all that hard won progress (or so I thought), it also occurred to me that it must happen to my own benefit. And the end result.
Surprisingly, I have not missed Instagram since I quit last summer. I have logged back in four-ish different times for specific reasons, been completely overwhelmed, and promptly deleted the app as soon as I could.
I will be praying for you, Lore. You’re doing a lot and your work is needed.
Same. I logged in a few times this month to grab and address or phone number, and promptly shuddered and logged back out. You're doing a lot too, my friend. Keep doing good work.
I appreciated this piece. I am on a much needed social media break currently and when I think about returning, your account is at the top of my reasons why. Thankful to read some of your words today.
Sooooo....if I wasn't there, maybe there would be fewer reasons to return? It's worth thinking about (for me at least). Like, I'm culpable too for people who like to follow along and stay on the app for that reason. It makes me even more inclined to log off semi-permanently.
Definitely fewer reasons to return. There a handful of accounts I enjoy for inspiration but ultimately the anxiety and comparison seem too high a price for inspiration. I do miss the old instagram.