Introspection

Links For Eggheads: Health & Beauty Edition

/ Ally Bean / 18 Comments

… because information is FUN dammit.

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[But before I begin, an aside:

When I find something interesting online I try to keep the link.  I do this because I adore it when I go to someone else’s blog and find that he or she has taken the time to curate a list of links, so once in a while I try to do the same thing here.

Although now that I think about it, I feel a bit like Sheldon Cooper presenting his lame video podcast series, Fun With Flags.  But I have no Amy Farrah Fowler here to help me, so this is all different from that.

Right?!!]

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√  to look your best in photographs (and you know that you want to), go here.  USEFUL.

√  to get a better grip on your own sanity, go here.  PROFOUND.

√  to change your arms from lunch lady to gym rat, go here.  INSPIRING.

√  to style curly hair so that you don’t look like a poodle gone wild, go here.  HOPEFUL.

√  to understand why you trip up when you attempt to make changes, go here.  INSIGHTFUL.

√  to have a toned tummy while living a crunch-free life, go here.  DOABLE.

√  to keep your happy heart healthy (which we all know is a good thing), go here.  IMPORTANT.

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QOTD: What’s On Your Superpowers List?

/ Ally Bean / 21 Comments

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Remember back a few weeks ago when I was reading Darcy Eikenberg’s Bring Your Superpowers To Work and how it bugged me that I couldn’t figure out what my superpowers were?  

I mean, I’ve always been told that it’s more important to know WHO you are than to know WHERE you’re going.  Yet there I was on a bleak February day not knowing myself OR my path.   

So I decided to dig in and determine what superpowers I had.  Then I created this list.  Perhaps it’s a bit lighter in tone than what Darcy has in mind, but it is who I am.  Which I do believe is the whole point of this exercise.

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I am…

  • able to confirm that the color you painted your walls is not the right color.
  • able to laugh, more often than not, at the absurdities of life.
  • able to say thank you so many times in a day that it may sound insincere, but it’s not.
  • able to bring ideas and experiences together in novel ways.
  • able to determine within minutes of meeting someone if said person is a problem solver or a problem keeper.
  • able to sit on the curb and clap enthusiastically as the parade goes by.
  • able to find a way to avoid ironing anything, preferring to delegate that task to anyone with the patience necessary to get rid of wrinkles.
  • able to remember minutiae/information that doesn’t matter any more.
  • able to remember to write down minutiae/information that matters now, often remembering where said minutiae/information is after being written down.
  • able to pick myself up, brush myself off, curse about life’s inequities– and then start all over again.

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Now, I’ve shared my list. What about you, gentle readers? What are your superpowers? I’d love to know.

The Return Of Five Senses Friday

/ Ally Bean / 15 Comments

It’s been a long time since I did this meme.  It originated a long time ago on a blog that is now defunct.  However, this wonderful idea lives on.  If you wish, you may play along in the comment section below or on your own blog.

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FEELING:  relaxed and happy.  well-rested.  ready to throw myself into new projects, dreamed up during my quiet days at home during our snow emergencies.

HEARING:  energy.  the fan of the furnace as it keeps this house a cozy temp.  the clickety-clack that my keypad makes when I type anything.

TASTING:  coffee.  bold, yet not harsh.  the way most of my days begin.

SEEING:  prettiness.  sunshine streaming through the open wooden blinds in the living room, illuminating the artwork that hangs on the wall above the loveseat.

SMELLING:  lime zest & cyprus.  freshness.  all because I washed my hands with my favorite kitchen soap before I sat down in our home office [across the foyer from the living room] to write this post.     

Winter Beauty: A Simple Lesson In Perspective

/ Ally Bean / 10 Comments

Yesterday as I was going through some photos of winter scenes that I shot a few weeks ago, I was taken with the following simple lesson in perspective.

It’s a lesson that applies to photography as well as problems.

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Sometimes the simplest things look complex & confusing when you see them up close.  For instance, here is a tangle of brown tree branches covered in white snow.

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Step back, add a bit of a blue sky and the snow-covered brown tree branches begin to look less chaotic.  In fact, from this angle the tree branches appear more organized & interconnected.

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Expand your perspective again and the snow-covered brown tree branches in the foreground become incidental to the clear blue sky that forms the background.

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The simple lesson here?

By putting a little distance between you and whatever, you’ll see the big picture.  And from that vantage point, we can only hope, you’ll understand what’s really going on.