Odds and Ends, Vol. 4

I've amassed another list of articles, so time for another edition of Odds and Ends!  I'm glad that some of you are enjoying this feature.  I'm hoping to make some blog buttons to go along with the regular features here, but first things first.

Jen Fulwiler on why it is important to take time to rest, and on the importance of adhering to a sane daily schedule.  I really needed to read that this week.

Rod Dreher on the importance of telling stories.  I know this is becoming somewhat of a theme on this blog, but the loss of shared cultural narrative in the West troubles me very much, and I'm interested to hear what thinking people have to say about it, as well as what to do to save the stories we have.

Amazing photos of a frozen cave along Lake Superior.

How to raise a pagan kid in a Christian home.  The ways that we can subtly undermine our own teaching in the home, or worse, fail to pass on our values, our beliefs, our stories to the next generation.

The stuff priests are made of.  These photos gave me goosebumps--fearless priests and monks facing the riot police, in the no-man land between the angry protesters and the authorities in Ukraine.  It has never been more important to pray for the peace of the world.

Why the phrase "Do What You Love, Love What You Do" is not only fallacious, it undermines the menial work that makes up much of life.  Long, but worth reading.

For those of us who come out of academia, the phrase "publish or perish" is just part of the deal.  Sarah Kendzior writes why this might be a bad thing.

Notes on Nursery Rhymes--how the stories we tell our children form a collective cultural narrative.

Men and women experience time differently, and it affects how they parent and perceive household duties.  This article was quite fascinating to me, as I've done a lot of research and writing on time.

How Place Fosters Art.

Amazing photo portraits of a five year old recreating old paintings.

And in a similar thread (for those who haven't seen it): Flemish self portraits in an airplane lavatory.

Why communal spaces are important (and please do follow the embedded links to the anti-ergonomic park benches.  They are funny and sad at the same time.  I live in a city that struggles with high poverty rates, and I get why loitering needs to be curtailed (broken windows theory certainly applies here), but the commons are important for vital city life, and I'm interested in how to preserve it in ways that serve the needs of the majority of residents.

Can't have an Odds and Ends without Matt Walsh, and he's killing it with this one.

Christy reflects on Chesterton's thoughts about the importance of freedom in the home.

Meagan Francis talks about This Tenuous Life and the resilience and fragility of humans.

Jenny's Wellness Project.  I'm taking notes.

Cheers for Chubby, a funny little video from the 1950s that playfully demonstrates how to get fit and healthy.

A funny: if company slogans were honest.

Glennon at Momastery writes about how social media can interfere with real life (but also provides reasonable ways to live with social media).  I'm reading her book, Carry On Warrior, and am highlighting something every few pages!

Also from Glennon, The questions that can save your relationship.  My favorite part is the description of her day with littles.  "How was my day? Today has been a lifetime. It was the best of times and the worst of times. There were moments when my heart was so full I thought I might explode, and there were other moments when my senses were under such intense assault that I was CERTAIN I'd explode. I was both lonely and absolutely desperate to be alone. I was saturated -- just BOMBARDED with touch and then the second I put down this baby I yearned to smell her sweet skin again. I was simultaneously bored out of my skull and completely overwhelmed with so much to do. Today was too much and not enough. It was loud and silent. It was brutal and beautiful. I was at my very best today and then, just a moment later, at my very worst. At 3:30 today I decided that we should adopt four more children, and then at 3:35 I decided that we should give up the kids we already have for adoption. Husband -- when your day is completely and totally dependent upon the moods and needs and schedules of tiny, messy, beautiful rug rats your day is ALL OF THE THINGS and NONE OF THE THINGS, sometimes within the same three minute period. But I'm not complaining. This is not a complaint, so don't try to FIX IT. I wouldn't have my day Any.Other.Way. I'm just saying -- it's a hell of a hard thing to explain -- an entire day with lots of babies."

Spot on.