On Materiality

 As of late, the word that's been standing out to your humble blogger is materiality-particularly in the sense illustrated by Laura Mott in the art book Landlord Colors. In the book, materials are discussed in the context of being a conduit of communicating the status of labor and economy in particular times and places. The exhibition the book is based on focuses particularly on times of upheaval. For me, it made me think about how materiality can play a role in how we navigate these times.

With all the discussion about use of AI and social media, it seems useful to continue considering where we can engage tangible things. In other words, where can we make time to appreciate things made by our fellow human beings? Where can we build community outside of the mediated nature of current technology? Where can we "touch grass", appreciating what nature offers in this current season? Where can we engage these things not just now, but throughout our lives?

It goes without saying we're dealing with times of upheaval. Navigating through everything isn't easy, especially with what seems like numerous distractions.  Where can materiality help with this for me? For you? 

On a milestone trip around the sun

 Your humble blogger began a new trip around the sun yesterday and it's a milestone one. I'm now officially in my mid 40s. As the subject of aging has been hot in the internet sphere lately,  the phenomenon has compelled me to share some feelings in contemplating it.

To begin with an oft said point. aging is a blessing. Personally,  it's been something I've at least tried to not take for granted. Life does what it does, though,  and sometimes there's moments where it can be a challenge to not get caught up in the hard times. Balance is key.

On a related note, aging doesn't mean that there's no lessons to learn. There's the truism that one should "know better" by a certain point in life. As people are individuals, though, said knowledge might not be gained until later on in life. There's also the issue of taking the lessons learned to heart. Giving yourself grace while taking accountability when necessary shows itself a worthwhile practice in such circumstances.

Given the above said, there's no shame in aging. There's no running away from it. What time we  have here on this plane, though, is an opportunity to lean into continuously working on progressing so we and the world can be the best we can be.

Lean into serendipity

 

(Source: Merriam-Webster Dictionary)

Since last post, a related theme has made itself present in your humble blogger 's life- leaning into serendipity. It goes without saying that the unexpected is a part of life. Consiously finding the good in said moments is something worth keeping in mind. 

A great illustration of this is this article by Paula de la Cruz. While it explores serendipity in the context of business, something could be said to its application to life more broadly. What makes this more home hitting is its focus on the idea of the key nature of agency in serendipity. In other words, you have to lean into serendipity.

How did this whole concept play out for your humble blogger? Let's just say a couple of instances came up in my personal life.  One I will share is a fashion moment where I never would have thought of putting navy pants together with a white, black, orange and green printed top,  but with a time crunch it somehow worked and I went with it. What resulted was a pretty good mood.

Many times in life things we don't expect to have any value cross our path, and we dismiss them as insignificant. It may behoove us, though,  to lean into the serendipitous moments and see where they take us.

The Little Things

The theme for your humble blogger as we're getting into the depths of Summer has been the "little things". I may have mused on the subject before,  but it has been hitting close to home again recently. Things like drinks on an café patio or coffee table books at the Siren Hotel here in Detroit have been nice "little" moments for yours truly. It's become a truism that you can turn what may not seem significant into a moment of joy and presence, but it can be a bit of wisdom that can be easy to forget sometimes. Sometimes it can be nice to enjoy that tree (or trees) in the forest that is life. Yours truly is working on that this season.

 

What's on my mind at the moment

 Inspired by C.G.

Where are your hands?

Are they in the clay

Shaping the future 

They say God made dirt 

And dirt don't hurt

Let that Ruah through 

Let it grow into 

the good, beautiful and true 

Newness at Black Catholic Messenger

 Your humble blogger is back with the newness at Black Catholic Messengers

https://www.blackcatholicmessenger.org/when-its-darkness-on-the-delta-review/

An update

 It's been a while since your humble blogger has shared any updates on the plant situation. Thus far, Asia is still alive and kicking, which is a moment for gratitude. As of late, it has been serving as a reminder that there's many things in life that are a marathon,  not a sprint. 

Until next time,

MsRanaDee