#new job has the exact whimsy and magic i love

[wyndrova]

Krile Baldesion!

[its-haughty]

i rebranded jessie’s dollhouse cuz it wasn’t working out lmao. been working on a new story for the past few days

so here are the main three, while i figure out the side characters, world building, bla bla blaa

—

‘Catch Me If You Can!’

will be the name of this new story i’m cooking up. Premise goes as follows:

Jessie is a bounty that’s worth a hefty amount of cash, a million dollars to be exact (also he’s wanted by the government for some reason? Eh it’s probably nothing to look into), lots of people want the money and one of those people is Ernest: a tired gruff bounty hunter who’s gotten jaded due to time. Problem is… Jessie’s a million dollar bounty for a reason! He’s extremely difficult to catch and so for that reason, Ernest needs to build some trust with the man rather than just- trying to arrest him guns blazing.

Individual Bios below the cut

JESSIE

Male (he/him), 26, human, 5’9”, bounty

Very silly, eccentric, creative, full of a joyous whimsy

The reason how he escapes trouble?: He’s INSANELY lucky + has cartoon logic

Jessie’s magic works like none other in this universe, in a more sci-fi world with high tech advancements- Jessie’s creative mind to make objects bend at his will as if he were a cartoon character is extremely hard to fight against. He is the equivalent of road runner if road runner was in a sci-fi setting basically.

Ernest and Clover are his bestest of friends

Being on the run, he’s never made actual friends before. Either they or Jessie himself has to ditch them in order to stay away from trouble, so he’s gone under the assumption that good things don’t last forever… That’s until he met Ernest and Clover and now he’s gotten a taste of actual friends who is genuinely loves, it both makes him feel so safe but also the idea of losing them now is absolutely terrifying.

Why is he wanted by the government???

dont worry about it

—

ERNEST

Male (he/him), 43, cyborg, 6’7”, bounty hunter

Gruff, tired, easygoing, solemn, has lost his way with things

Incredibly good at his job as a bounty hunter

This is because Ernest is made to BE a weapon. He works at headquarters where his boss assigns him bounties to catch to which he usually doesn’t struggle with doing… But now he’s faced with a bounty who’s powers are so unconventional, Ernest genuinely has no idea how to approach Jessie.

Ernest wasn’t always a cyborg

Before he became a cyborg, he was a musician who liked to play the guitar before a horrible accident occurred in which he had to get surgery or else he’d succumb to injury. The person who operated on him was shady as fuck and nobody knows who operated on Ernest but instead of being stitched up- the doctor had made Ernest a living weapon. While Ernest hated what his body resembled, he’d decide to give up on music and to give himself up to a career path that he’d excel at: Bounty hunting.

He’s lonely…

Of course… When building trust with the man, he gets closely attached to him and now he needs to decide whether to go against his orders/programming or to choose the more emotional decision and go against his mission in order to keep Jessie safe.

Extra..

—

CLOVER

Trans Female (she/her), 12, lizardfolk, 4’1”, engineer

Standoff-ish, brave, rambunctious, witty

Why is she teaming up with Ernest and Jessie?

She knows about the bounty on Jessie’s head but doesn’t give a shit about the money. She doesn’t have the intention to capture him, instead she hangs around the two and specifically Jessie to use as a motor of transport since he’s constantly on the run.

What is she looking for?

She hopes that while traversing the city with Jessie and Ernest, she’ll find her mother since she’s been missing for some time… She never makes her true intentions clear to Ernest or Jessie, always stating that “she just wanted to escape her home-life” implying she has bad parents but it turns out she doesn’t have parents to begin with.

She’s proficient with weaponry and crafting

Clover makes all her weapons and gadgets, including her yo-yo/shield and has a big passion for making fun technology!! She learnt her skills from her mother when she was still around, the two having a shared passion of engineering

Extra..

[that-librarian-geek]

153.6 - Communication

1 - Philosophy and Psychology

5 - Psychology

3. - Cognition and Memory

6 - Communication

This week’s Dewey Decimal Call Number post is all about communication. Communication is a tricky beast. It comes in many varieties - oral, written, or body language. It is also interpreted through so many cultural and personal filters that the exact same gesture or statement could mean any number of things. Episode 1 of Good Omens demonstrated that beautifully. To one person, a wink can mean “job well done!” when it should have meant “what are you doing, get out of here!” I’ve chosen 2 nonfiction books about improving communication skills and 2 fiction books that illustrate why communication is so important.

Nonfiction

Thanks for the Feedback: The Science and Art of Receiving Feedback Well by Douglas Stone and Sheila Heen, 2014.

The book which is from the Harvard Negotiation Project offers frameworks and tools to help people deal with feedback more effectively. The book is on the sizable side with 13 chapters and 348 pages and is an amusing one to read. Be warned though, it is high on theory and models, but is balanced out by pragmatic examples all through the book illustrating theoretical explanations. The book has a humorous edge too, with tiny bits of quirky statements embedded throughout the book. So is it worth reading? Oh yes, just 94 pages into the book gave me a whole new perception of feedback.

Review

Definitive Book of Body Language  by Allan Pease and Barbara Pease, 2004.

Body language is incredibly complex. While some motions and sounds (laughing, crying) are universal, others are culturally-specific. On top of that, each person puts their own spin on how they use their body for communication. I tend to be very expressive but some are more subtle. What I appreciated about this book is that it was very approachable and did not assume how much the reader already knew. I certainly recommend this for someone who struggles with interpreting body language. 

Review

Fiction

The Luster of Lost Things by Sophie Chen Keller, 2017

“Walter Lavender Jr. is a master of finding. A wearer of high-tops. A maker of croissants. A son keeping vigil, twelve years counting.

But he wouldn’t be able to tell you. Silenced by his motor speech disorder, Walter’s life gets lonely. Fortunately, he has The Lavenders—his mother’s enchanted dessert shop, where marzipan dragons breathe actual fire. He also has a knack for tracking down any missing thing—except for his lost father.

So when the Book at the root of the bakery’s magic vanishes, Walter, accompanied by his overweight golden retriever, journeys through New York City to find it—along the way encountering an unforgettable cast of lost souls.”

It is so important to take into account people with disabilities when discussing communication. am currently about halfway through this book and am absolutely loving it. I highly recommend it for anyone who enjoys a gentle mix of whimsy and melancholy.

Review

Speak by Louisa Hall, 2015

A less artful title for “Speak,” Louisa Hall’s sidereal novel on artificial (and thus human) intelligence, might be “What We Talk About When We Talk About Computers.” This starfish of a book, five voices waving gracefully around a core of philosophical questions, wants to explore the nature of memory; the borders of personhood; how words can illumine and obscure and hoodwink and rescue.

I am including this book because of how many different ways the author examines the very concept of “communication.”

Review

[enixamyram]

Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom Review

I hated it. So much.

Maisie was the ONLY good thing about it.

Spoilers bellow.

Honestly, this whole film just sucked and it’s hard to sum it up into why because there was just so much wrong but I’ll try and keep it was short as I can.

Repeating: If this was a reboot then you might get away with constant repeats, but this is meant to be a continuation so repeating the story line in the way that it did made no sense. Like, making ANOTHER new dinosaur without even addressing why the first one failed (aka, using DNA of a dino smarter than most humans) was so badly stupid. And selling dino’s after what happened in the last film has long since stopped making sense. THEY EVEN REPEATED THE EXACT SAME ROMANCE BETWEEN CLAIRE AND OWEN AS THEY DID IN THE LAST DAMN FILM! LIKE! IT WAS EXACTLY THE SAME! RIGHT DOWN TO A SINGLE RANDOM KISS AT THE MOST RANDOM F*****G TIME!!!

Never addressing the actual issue: It’s like the film wants to start the debate about whether or not they SHOULD save the dino’s... Without ever actually discussing it. Like there are genuine arguments for and against it and not a single one is offered. The most we ever hear is Claire basically using an excuse which essentially boils down to “they’re cool and your kids will get to see them”. Like, not once does anyone discuss that a) dino’s are living creatures now and we have other dangerous animals so why should we not save the dino’s the way we save other animals. Or b) they’re too dangerous to be allowed to live so we need to wipe them out before they wipe us out. Even Jeff’s two second cameo only ever talks about what the Scientists have started with bringing the dino’s back and never actually about the dino’s themselves! My god! Talk about the actual issue already! There are so many things you could say!

Too much focus on the humans: Sorry, but the dino’s are literally the films selling point. But even on the island where the dino’s are dying, we spend so much damn time focused on the humans struggling to survive than any of the dino’s! We get a single shot of one dinosaur at the very end, and then that’s it. And sorry but none of the humans (except maybe Maisie) are at all interesting enough to carry this film alone.

Still not addressing the actual issue: At the very end they almost discuss why they can’t just release dino’s into the world, but even that is barely touched and then quickly brushed aside. And the scene where Maisie releases them would have been sweeter if her cloning had been more centre stage, but again, like a lot of the deeper meanings, that was also barely touched upon. I feel like Maisie should have had a break down about not being real, and maybe Claire comforts her and confirms she is real, and then that would prompt the line “they’re real like me” later when she frees them.

Dino’s aren’t a big deal any more... Except they are?: Like, the first Jurassic World film made a big damn deal about how dino’s weren’t a big deal any more. Everyone saw them and everyone was getting bored of them now. It was the whole point of the film, which was why they made a new dino, to get everyone’s attention back. Again. This was a big damn deal! And yet, once again, in this film, all the dino’s are still treated as something magic. The female vet (who’s name I can never remember) was so stunned and Claire kind of hugged her and I was just sat wondering... Why?!?!?! Like, this is another one that could have been cleaned up in like two sentences - Claire: “why did you never come to the park?” vet: “couldn’t afford it.” there! done! Stupid scene cleaned up like that! But no, we need whimsy without actual effort so we get this instead.

Typical bad guys are bad because money!: Yeah, the villains were as bland and stupid as ever. I didn’t understand why Wu had suddenly decided to make ANOTHER new dino after what happened the last time. I mean, before it made sense cause it was his job and all but now I don’t even know what it’s about at this point. Meanwhile the other villains are all perfectly happy to sell dino’s even knowing they’re too dangerous to actually be used and such because... Money.

Some scenes made no damn sense and were dumb: Like, yeah, Claire once helped/watched blood be taken from a human so yeah, of course she can take blood from a massive dino with a completely different body structure. I mean, I once clipped my own nails so of course I can declaw a cat! So the whole, blood transfusion was really dumb/unnecessary and led to absolutely nothing and it wasn’t the only scene either. Hell, even the opening scene was utterly pointless, especially when you realise we could have focused on more interesting story details like the island blowing up.

... Okay.

I’ve ranted as much as I can remember/sum up at this moment in time. So let’s talk about the good things. Or rather, the good thing. Singular.

Maisie.

I loved her. I liked the actress and I liked the story! I guessed she was a clone about halfway through but it was still a good twist because of the hints. One scene I really liked - that no one ever seemed to notice before I pointed it out to them but when I did everyone’s been like “oh yeah!” - is when Maisie opens the locked door and peeks out. And we get this close up shot of her eye... Well, who else gets lots of close ups of their eye? Dino’s of course. So little stuff like that made the twist that she was a clone really cool/interesting. All in all her story was new and exciting and I really liked it! Sadly she couldn’t save the film but she did have good scenes at the very least.

I like what the film was trying to do, aka, build to the actual Jurassic World. I mean, they did a nice bit of world building... Or tried to. But because this film sucked so bad, it’s impossible for me to enjoy what could come next. Like the dino’s running around our world should have been a bigger deal but, again, the bigger deal has yet to be addressed and so it sucked down the ending a bit.

I also have a theory:

I like this theory and even though the new hybrid dino (whom me and my friend call Wasp btw cause I can never remember its actual name and it has a yellow streak over its side) died at the end of the film. I know it’s most likely not anything but I still like my theory anyway. I wish Wasp hadn’t died and then we could have done more with her but anyway, my theory.

They wanted Blue so as to bond her with Wasp and make Wasp easier to control. Well my theory is that Wasp bonded with Maisie instead. I dunno, the very first scene, Wasp brushes her claw through Maisie’s hair and even though she chases her a lot, we never actually see her attack. She’s always interrupted or Maisie runs and hides. So yeah, I have a theory that Wasp bonded with Maisie on that day because they’re both a clone of some sort. - Again, imagine how cool a story this would have been?

Summary:

In an hour me and my friend came up with like, seven different ideas that would have been better than the rehash they gave us. It was all a repeat - and not even in an Easter egg kind of way - and that made it boring. The only good was the new stuff (Maisie) and even that wasn’t enough and should have been developed more. All in all I was beyond let down with this film - and I wasn’t even that interested to begin with. In fact I enjoyed the new Cinema seats more than I did the actual film.

3 out of 10 from me. And those 3 points are all for Maisie.

[housebeleren]

War of the Spark Reprints & New Art

I can’t believe we’re already on the brink of Core Set 2020 previews! Before we go there, I”ll wrap up my thoughts on War of the Spark. Today, some reprints & the new art that accompanies them. This is always one of my favorite things, to see how staple cards are reinterpreted in new contexts.

Starting with a bang, so to speak, is this redo of limited staple Gateway Plaza. To me, this was an ingenious design on the part of the creative team. By giving us identical art two sets in a row in Guilds of Ravnica and Ravnica Allegiance, they created a sense of constancy, of permanence on this world. Blowing it up was the most evocative way to start this war, and to make clear the sudden and violent change the plane is to experience. In a set that was somewhat hit or miss on the “war” tone, this was one story moment that was perfectly executed.

Sung Choi has a fairly small pool of Magic art so far, but all of it is excellent. His work first caught my eye with the fantastic Molten Rain reprint in Modern Masters 2017, and recently blew it out of the water with the Ultimate Masters Life from the Loam. This Gateway Plaza does a phenomenal job of conveying this powerful story moment, and is a highlight of the set.

All Versions:

War of the Spark

Guilds of Ravnica/Ravnica Allegiance

Ajani’s Pridemate has been a staple since it was first printed in Magic 2011, and it’s great to see it back here as Ajani’s signature spell, errata and all. The existing version by Svetlin Velinov has been the only version til now, so it’s exciting to see a change.

Sidharth Chaturvedi got 4 cards in War of the Spark, and for good reason. The set has a very animated, comic book style about it, and Sidharth’s style is a perfect fit. He tends towards this illustration-esque feel, with stark but narrow color palettes (basically just blue & yellow here), and a sense of visible brushstrokes. It fits in beautifully with the feel of the set. My only wish is that the setting were a little more visible, putting this in the context of Ravnica, as he did on Pouncing Lynx. 

War of the Spark

Magic 2011

Augur is another staple from core sets of yore, and a fantastic reprint for Standard, though I wish we had more context for this character. Who is this merfolk defecting to Bolas, and why? But that’s neither here nor there.

What I love about this depiction is it really conveys the sense of this creature being an oracle or seer of sorts, where the existing artwork is more generic. The water in particular is done amazingly here, conveying the motion surrounding the character while still giving us a perfectly clear view. The colors are beautiful, and the details are precise but not overwhelming. Alex Konstad is excellent, and I love the piece. I’d check out his Coral Commando & promo of Deeproot Champion as examples why it made perfect sense for him to get this commission.

War of the Spark

Magic 2013

Another signature spell that made perfect sense to bring back. As much as I love the original version of this, charging at the viewer, this one is simply phenomenal, and I’m so happy they had Aleksi Briclot do it. He’s done a huge number of Magic cards, going back to the Kamigawa days, and often gets major commissions, including all five of the original Lorwyn Planeswalkers. He does Chandra and fire so phenomenally well. Just look at Stigma Lasher and Ravaging Blaze for a sense of what he can do with fire. And, of course, the original Chandra Nalaar is beyond iconic.

This piece, a Common whose art will often go unnoticed by drafters, shows just how incredible the quality of Magic art is.

War of the Spark

Kaladesh

This is one of those spells I always feel like has been around since... I dunno... Tempest or something. But it’s actually only the second time it’s been printed since its debut in Khans of Tarkir. Obviously, the dream is to draft it in the same deck as Feather, the Redeemed, but I’m not sure how often that is actually going to happen. Either way, it’s a fun cantrip & utility trick for Limited.

Gabor Szikszai is great at these action shots, frequently illustrating for the Boros or other combat-oriented individuals. His pieces are full of energy, and always feel like the very apex of the moment, like the shots you’d see on a storyboard or in a comic. This style is a perfect fit for War of the Spark, and this piece does a great job.

War of the Spark

Khans of Tarkir

Demolish, on the other hand, has been around for a long time, going back to Odyssey, and it still shows up as a perpetual inclusion. It’s always not good enough for standard, and most of the time it’s not really playable in Limited either. That said, it’s the kind of effect that needs to be around, just to serve as a baseline. Probably its best inclusion, from a Mel perspective, was in Kaladesh, where artifact removal was maindeckable, yet the rate made this far from overpowered.

As for the art, this may be my favorite iteration ever, since it’s possibly the only version ever to actually depict destroying both an artifact and a land, whereas most versions are more typical artifact destruction designs. This also goes deeper, as the building being destroyed is the Interplanar Beacon, first hinted at on Steam Vents in Guilds of Ravnica. The fact that they went to so much effort to seed these important story moments for War of the Spark is above and beyond awesome, and I’d love to see more of this in the future. 

Adam Paquette needs no introduction–he’s Magic art royalty at this point. But I would like to point out that he did a huge number of lands for this year on Ravnica, including the aforementioned Interplanar Beacon, another of my favorite pieces from the set, and several of the evocative basic lands. It’s amazing to get to see so many different angles of the same buildings & locations, and was one of the highlights of this incredible year in Magic.

War of the Spark

Ixalan

Kaladesh

Theros

Avacyn Restored

Zendikar

Odyssey

Awwww look at the goodest boy! Mowu is here serving good boy realness, and I’m all about it. I love that they were able to print this spell and use it effectively as a signature spell to demonstrate Jiang Yanggu’s magic. I’m always a little surprised to see this spell reprinting, since it feels like Wizards is perpetually unsure if this is too powerful or not, toying with making this effect cost 2 mana or making it slightly less of a buff for 1. Either way, I’m happy to see it back. Obviously, this card goes back to the genesis of the game, and is one of the only iconic spells from that era that would still be printable these days.

I didn’t immediately recognize Dmitry Burmak’s name on this card, but one cursory glance at his card history and I immediately recognized a number of his pieces. His first Magic pieces were from Unstable, including two of my favorites: Lobe Lobber & Willing Test Subject. On Ravnica, he’s done a bunch of pieces for the Rakdos & Izzet, including Captive Audience, Electrodominance, and Light up the Stage. His pieces have tremendous energy and more than a dash of whimsy, and I am here for it. I’d love to see more of this energy in Magic art going forward.

War of the Spark

Return to Ravnica

Tenth Edition

Ninth Edition

Seventh Edition

Fifth Edition

Ice Age

Alpha

From the very old to the much more recent, New Horizons is one of the increasing number of land ramp enchantments Wizards has been pushing in recent years as an alternative to land fetching. To be clear, these effects have been around for a while, but they’re much more frequent than they used to be, and land fetching doesn’t show up quite as often. It’s a cool effect, and I do like it. I just hope they keep land fetching as well, since both effects are useful in different ways.

Eytan Zana is a name that may not be super familiar, but you’ve definitely seen a ton of his works, and that’s because the vast majority of his Magic artworks are lands. One of my favorite Forests of all time is his, the idyllic deer & stream Forest from Avacyn Restored. It’s his mastery of landscapes that makes this New Horizons art so good. For all intents and purposes, it is a land art, just themed on a spell. I love the subtle ruins of the city in the foreground, and the majesty of the great trees growing out of the main structure are absolutely breathtaking. Well done.

War of the Spark

Ixalan

Ahhh, Primordial Wurm. Herein lies the proof of just how pushed creatures are these days. Back in Alpha, this casting cost got you a 6/4 Craw Wurm. Now it either gets you a 7/6 Primordial Wurm, and it’s still basically unplayable. I look forward to ten years from now, when we get a 10/10 Wurm for this exact casting cost at Common, and it still doesn’t see play.

Anyhoo, this is a fun piece. Svetlin Velinov is another piece of Magic art royalty, who needs absolutely no introduction. What I love about him is the vast array of types of cards he does. Sometimes it’s a high-profile Mythic Legend like Roalesk, Apex Hybrid. Sometimes it’s a goofy limited trick like Maximize Velocity (with goofy Viashino to match). And sometimes it’s an absolutely gorgeous land. But no matter what, his style shows through and makes something totally memorable. I’ll remember this Wurm chasing down bite-sized eternals, even if I forget if it’s a 7/6 or a 6/6 or a 6/4 or whatever the hell size Wurms are these days.

War of the Spark

Dominaria

One only need look at the original version of this art by Karl Kopinski to get a sense of the art direction for this set. What was once a somber, pensive piece is now action, in full comic book mode. And I’m totally here for it. I do love how the Nicol Bolas statue was used as a prop in this set.

Obviously Daarken is a legend. Suffice it to say, he’s done everything, but definitely has a talent for darker, more sinister pieces (and occasionally, the exact opposite). This piece is great, though I will say I don’t quite understand the Nahiri quote on here. I would really have rather seen a Sorin quote here and had them use this one on Nahiri’s Stoneblades. But what do I know?

War of the Spark

Magic 2012

Last but not least, it’s Totally Lost, everyone’s favorite card they wish cost 1 mana less, but couldn’t really without being a little too powerful. Honestly, I love that they brought back Fblthp for this, though if they do it a third time, then they’ll never be able to do a version of this card without him ever. Think about that carefully, Wizards. Probably my favorite thing about this card isn’t even Fblthp on top of the Bolas statue, but actually the flavor text reference to his Easter Egg in Captive Audience from the last set. They really went deep this time around.

Aaron Miller does a huge variety of cards, from high profile works like Ajani, Mentor of Heroes, to cards you probably already forgot existed, like Honed Khopesh. He seems to really enjoy these interesting perspectives, looking up or down at his characters from unique vantage points, and creating stylized pieces that have character, but still fit into the Magic universe. I enjoy that this card made it into the set, and I think this depiction of one of the game’s favorite memes, high over the spires of the city, is a perfect place to close out this post.

War of the Spark

Gatecrash

[almajonesnjna]

{#TransparentTuesday} The Magic of Tidying Up.

Have you heard of Marie Kondo?

For those of you who haven’t, Marie wrote the book The Magic of Tidying Up, and has a new show on Netflix in which she goes into family homes, and teaches them how to “get their house in order” in a way that kind of magically changes their lives.

It’s a whole thing.

Personally, I don’t give a shit about organization or tidiness (and I’m a nomad, so I don’t have a home to put in order), but based on her book being highly recommended by friends, I bought it, and found myself spellbound.

While Maria seems to be merely giving advice about how to fold clothes, organize books, and store miscellaneous items, her method is really a gentle revolution on how to live.

There’s so much about her method that I love, such as the way she encourages gratitude and mindfulness, and her subtly anti-capitalist way of viewing “stuff.”

Her method forces people to come into mindful contact with their belongings, to acknowledge the place of honor and respect their belongings deserve, which causes people to think more critically about buying and having so much damn stuff. There is a revolutionary feeling of respect, honor, and kindness throughout her work, as well as a subtle movement toward minimalism, and a streak of pure childlike whimsy.

Before Marie puts a home in order, she kneels and takes a few minutes to silently introduce herself to the house. This tiny gesture is unheard of in our go-go-go western culture, because we’ve been conditioned to view ourselves as too busy and important to pause to talk to a house.

We’ve also been conditioned (thank you, colonialism) to see our belongings as things to acquire, use, and discard without a second thought. We tend to say “this is mine so I can do whatever I want with it,” while Marie’s style is more

“this is mine, so it’s my duty to protect and honor it.”

This subtle mindset shift has the power in and of itself to change lives. What would happen if we all adopted this mindset in all of our relationships, be they with objects, animals, humans, or the earth?

Marie’s whimsy also comes through when she uses semi-magical-sounding phrases of personification, such as “only hang up clothes that look as though they would be happier hung,” and “balling up socks is stressful for them, so be sure to fold them in a way that allows them to rest.”

It’s adorable. (I don’t know if this concept appeals to me because of the empathy-via-personification part of my brain or what, but I love the idea that some items are happier on hangers, and that socks need to be folded carefully or else they get anxious.)

But the most important thing about Marie’s message, and the reason I’m talking about her now, is the way she encourages people to listen to their bodies, and trust themselves.

Marie’s entire method is based on the idea that a person’s body will tell them which items should be kept or tossed; that their intuition will tell them where things belong; that if they tune inward the answers will all be there.

Though not the point of the book, this method gently promotes self-trust, and tuning into the sensations in one’s body.

Marie asks her readers to hold up each object they own, to touch it with their hands and be mentally present with it, and to notice whether or not it sparks a feeling of joy in their bodies.

If it does, great! You keep that item. If it doesn’t, that item gets discarded.

What a stunningly simple way of helping people tune into the wisdom of their bodies and souls! What a sneaky way of teaching people to listen to and trust their intuitions!

I cannot tell you how happy it makes me that this book is so popular, because it means that millions of people, especially women, across the world will learn two important things:

An extremely simple way to tuning into the sensations in their body (which are otherwise typically very hard to pick up on), and

A raised bar for what is worth giving their time, energy, and attention.

The truth is that nothing is worth having in our lives if it doesn’t spark joy. Not people, not animals, not places, not objects. Not relationships. Not jobs. Nothing.

But most people don’t go around noticing if stuff sparks joy, for a few reasons.

First of all, we’ve all been taught that life is hard and we just gotta grind through it, so “good enough” is supposed to be what we strive for.

More importantly though, most people are so damn disconnected to their bodies that they have no idea what sparks joy inside them! It takes time and practice to tune into that kind of signal inside of us, and after a lifetime of being taught that those feelings are untrustworthy, unimportant, false, invalid, selfish, or dangerous, that can be extremely difficult!

In an effort to feel valid and respected, we often ignore our feelings altogether and try to use “logic” to guide us. Sadly this method doesn’t work, so life quickly becomes overwhelming and confusing.

Trying to use your head to make decisions that only your body was designed to make leads inevitably to houses filled with stuff you don’t like, relationships that don’t suit you, a life that’s not fulfilling, and a chronic feeling of anxiety.

I can’t tell you how often my clients describe a gut feeling, and then talk themselves in the exact opposite direction, either because they consider the feeling invalid, or because they don’t feel like they deserve to live a life that sparks joy.

The wisdom of our bodies has all the answers you could ever possibly need, but you have to be willing to listen.

If you listen, your body will tell you what to keep and what to toss, where things belong, who to talk to, what career to choose, who to date and who to marry, and what to do and say in every single situation. It will tell you everything.

The only reason you don’t have these answers already is because you haven’t learned to tune in and listen to these messages, to respect and trust them, and to let them guide you.

While I help a lot of my clients do this through coaching, Marie Kondo has provided a gentle framework for masses of people to practice the same thing by simply asking themselves, over and over and over: when I tune in, how does this feel to me?

Or, put her way: Does this spark joy?

Here’s to hoping that this cultural phenomenon is part of a movement toward more embodiment, more self-trust, and more women across the world living a life of FUCK YES, instead of “that’s fine.”

With sparks of joy,

<3 Jessi

The post {#TransparentTuesday} The Magic of Tidying Up. appeared first on Jessi Kneeland.

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[ruthellisneda]

{#TransparentTuesday} The Magic of Tidying Up.

Have you heard of Marie Kondo?

For those of you who haven’t, Marie wrote the book The Magic of Tidying Up, and has a new show on Netflix in which she goes into family homes, and teaches them how to “get their house in order” in a way that kind of magically changes their lives.

It’s a whole thing.

Personally, I don’t give a shit about organization or tidiness (and I’m a nomad, so I don’t have a home to put in order), but based on her book being highly recommended by friends, I bought it, and found myself spellbound.

While Maria seems to be merely giving advice about how to fold clothes, organize books, and store miscellaneous items, her method is really a gentle revolution on how to live.

There’s so much about her method that I love, such as the way she encourages gratitude and mindfulness, and her subtly anti-capitalist way of viewing “stuff.”

Her method forces people to come into mindful contact with their belongings, to acknowledge the place of honor and respect their belongings deserve, which causes people to think more critically about buying and having so much damn stuff. There is a revolutionary feeling of respect, honor, and kindness throughout her work, as well as a subtle movement toward minimalism, and a streak of pure childlike whimsy.

Before Marie puts a home in order, she kneels and takes a few minutes to silently introduce herself to the house. This tiny gesture is unheard of in our go-go-go western culture, because we’ve been conditioned to view ourselves as too busy and important to pause to talk to a house.

We’ve also been conditioned (thank you, colonialism) to see our belongings as things to acquire, use, and discard without a second thought. We tend to say “this is mine so I can do whatever I want with it,” while Marie’s style is more

“this is mine, so it’s my duty to protect and honor it.”

This subtle mindset shift has the power in and of itself to change lives. What would happen if we all adopted this mindset in all of our relationships, be they with objects, animals, humans, or the earth?

Marie’s whimsy also comes through when she uses semi-magical-sounding phrases of personification, such as “only hang up clothes that look as though they would be happier hung,” and “balling up socks is stressful for them, so be sure to fold them in a way that allows them to rest.”

It’s adorable. (I don’t know if this concept appeals to me because of the empathy-via-personification part of my brain or what, but I love the idea that some items are happier on hangers, and that socks need to be folded carefully or else they get anxious.)

But the most important thing about Marie’s message, and the reason I’m talking about her now, is the way she encourages people to listen to their bodies, and trust themselves.

Marie’s entire method is based on the idea that a person’s body will tell them which items should be kept or tossed; that their intuition will tell them where things belong; that if they tune inward the answers will all be there.

Though not the point of the book, this method gently promotes self-trust, and tuning into the sensations in one’s body.

Marie asks her readers to hold up each object they own, to touch it with their hands and be mentally present with it, and to notice whether or not it sparks a feeling of joy in their bodies.

If it does, great! You keep that item. If it doesn’t, that item gets discarded.

What a stunningly simple way of helping people tune into the wisdom of their bodies and souls! What a sneaky way of teaching people to listen to and trust their intuitions!

I cannot tell you how happy it makes me that this book is so popular, because it means that millions of people, especially women, across the world will learn two important things:

An extremely simple way to tuning into the sensations in their body (which are otherwise typically very hard to pick up on), and

A raised bar for what is worth giving their time, energy, and attention.

The truth is that nothing is worth having in our lives if it doesn’t spark joy. Not people, not animals, not places, not objects. Not relationships. Not jobs. Nothing.

But most people don’t go around noticing if stuff sparks joy, for a few reasons.

First of all, we’ve all been taught that life is hard and we just gotta grind through it, so “good enough” is supposed to be what we strive for.

More importantly though, most people are so damn disconnected to their bodies that they have no idea what sparks joy inside them! It takes time and practice to tune into that kind of signal inside of us, and after a lifetime of being taught that those feelings are untrustworthy, unimportant, false, invalid, selfish, or dangerous, that can be extremely difficult!

In an effort to feel valid and respected, we often ignore our feelings altogether and try to use “logic” to guide us. Sadly this method doesn’t work, so life quickly becomes overwhelming and confusing.

Trying to use your head to make decisions that only your body was designed to make leads inevitably to houses filled with stuff you don’t like, relationships that don’t suit you, a life that’s not fulfilling, and a chronic feeling of anxiety.

I can’t tell you how often my clients describe a gut feeling, and then talk themselves in the exact opposite direction, either because they consider the feeling invalid, or because they don’t feel like they deserve to live a life that sparks joy.

The wisdom of our bodies has all the answers you could ever possibly need, but you have to be willing to listen.

If you listen, your body will tell you what to keep and what to toss, where things belong, who to talk to, what career to choose, who to date and who to marry, and what to do and say in every single situation. It will tell you everything.

The only reason you don’t have these answers already is because you haven’t learned to tune in and listen to these messages, to respect and trust them, and to let them guide you.

While I help a lot of my clients do this through coaching, Marie Kondo has provided a gentle framework for masses of people to practice the same thing by simply asking themselves, over and over and over: when I tune in, how does this feel to me?

Or, put her way: Does this spark joy?

Here’s to hoping that this cultural phenomenon is part of a movement toward more embodiment, more self-trust, and more women across the world living a life of FUCK YES, instead of “that’s fine.”

With sparks of joy,

<3 Jessi

The post {#TransparentTuesday} The Magic of Tidying Up. appeared first on Jessi Kneeland.

http://bit.ly/2WLdbY7

[albertcaldwellne]

{#TransparentTuesday} The Magic of Tidying Up.

Have you heard of Marie Kondo?

For those of you who haven’t, Marie wrote the book The Magic of Tidying Up, and has a new show on Netflix in which she goes into family homes, and teaches them how to “get their house in order” in a way that kind of magically changes their lives.

It’s a whole thing.

Personally, I don’t give a shit about organization or tidiness (and I’m a nomad, so I don’t have a home to put in order), but based on her book being highly recommended by friends, I bought it, and found myself spellbound.

While Maria seems to be merely giving advice about how to fold clothes, organize books, and store miscellaneous items, her method is really a gentle revolution on how to live.

There’s so much about her method that I love, such as the way she encourages gratitude and mindfulness, and her subtly anti-capitalist way of viewing “stuff.”

Her method forces people to come into mindful contact with their belongings, to acknowledge the place of honor and respect their belongings deserve, which causes people to think more critically about buying and having so much damn stuff. There is a revolutionary feeling of respect, honor, and kindness throughout her work, as well as a subtle movement toward minimalism, and a streak of pure childlike whimsy.

Before Marie puts a home in order, she kneels and takes a few minutes to silently introduce herself to the house. This tiny gesture is unheard of in our go-go-go western culture, because we’ve been conditioned to view ourselves as too busy and important to pause to talk to a house.

We’ve also been conditioned (thank you, colonialism) to see our belongings as things to acquire, use, and discard without a second thought. We tend to say “this is mine so I can do whatever I want with it,” while Marie’s style is more

“this is mine, so it’s my duty to protect and honor it.”

This subtle mindset shift has the power in and of itself to change lives. What would happen if we all adopted this mindset in all of our relationships, be they with objects, animals, humans, or the earth?

Marie’s whimsy also comes through when she uses semi-magical-sounding phrases of personification, such as “only hang up clothes that look as though they would be happier hung,” and “balling up socks is stressful for them, so be sure to fold them in a way that allows them to rest.”

It’s adorable. (I don’t know if this concept appeals to me because of the empathy-via-personification part of my brain or what, but I love the idea that some items are happier on hangers, and that socks need to be folded carefully or else they get anxious.)

But the most important thing about Marie’s message, and the reason I’m talking about her now, is the way she encourages people to listen to their bodies, and trust themselves.

Marie’s entire method is based on the idea that a person’s body will tell them which items should be kept or tossed; that their intuition will tell them where things belong; that if they tune inward the answers will all be there.

Though not the point of the book, this method gently promotes self-trust, and tuning into the sensations in one’s body.

Marie asks her readers to hold up each object they own, to touch it with their hands and be mentally present with it, and to notice whether or not it sparks a feeling of joy in their bodies.

If it does, great! You keep that item. If it doesn’t, that item gets discarded.

What a stunningly simple way of helping people tune into the wisdom of their bodies and souls! What a sneaky way of teaching people to listen to and trust their intuitions!

I cannot tell you how happy it makes me that this book is so popular, because it means that millions of people, especially women, across the world will learn two important things:

An extremely simple way to tuning into the sensations in their body (which are otherwise typically very hard to pick up on), and

A raised bar for what is worth giving their time, energy, and attention.

The truth is that nothing is worth having in our lives if it doesn’t spark joy. Not people, not animals, not places, not objects. Not relationships. Not jobs. Nothing.

But most people don’t go around noticing if stuff sparks joy, for a few reasons.

First of all, we’ve all been taught that life is hard and we just gotta grind through it, so “good enough” is supposed to be what we strive for.

More importantly though, most people are so damn disconnected to their bodies that they have no idea what sparks joy inside them! It takes time and practice to tune into that kind of signal inside of us, and after a lifetime of being taught that those feelings are untrustworthy, unimportant, false, invalid, selfish, or dangerous, that can be extremely difficult!

In an effort to feel valid and respected, we often ignore our feelings altogether and try to use “logic” to guide us. Sadly this method doesn’t work, so life quickly becomes overwhelming and confusing.

Trying to use your head to make decisions that only your body was designed to make leads inevitably to houses filled with stuff you don’t like, relationships that don’t suit you, a life that’s not fulfilling, and a chronic feeling of anxiety.

I can’t tell you how often my clients describe a gut feeling, and then talk themselves in the exact opposite direction, either because they consider the feeling invalid, or because they don’t feel like they deserve to live a life that sparks joy.

The wisdom of our bodies has all the answers you could ever possibly need, but you have to be willing to listen.

If you listen, your body will tell you what to keep and what to toss, where things belong, who to talk to, what career to choose, who to date and who to marry, and what to do and say in every single situation. It will tell you everything.

The only reason you don’t have these answers already is because you haven’t learned to tune in and listen to these messages, to respect and trust them, and to let them guide you.

While I help a lot of my clients do this through coaching, Marie Kondo has provided a gentle framework for masses of people to practice the same thing by simply asking themselves, over and over and over: when I tune in, how does this feel to me?

Or, put her way: Does this spark joy?

Here’s to hoping that this cultural phenomenon is part of a movement toward more embodiment, more self-trust, and more women across the world living a life of FUCK YES, instead of “that’s fine.”

With sparks of joy,

<3 Jessi

The post {#TransparentTuesday} The Magic of Tidying Up. appeared first on Jessi Kneeland.

http://bit.ly/2WLdbY7

[johnclapperne]

{#TransparentTuesday} The Magic of Tidying Up.

Have you heard of Marie Kondo?

For those of you who haven’t, Marie wrote the book The Magic of Tidying Up, and has a new show on Netflix in which she goes into family homes, and teaches them how to “get their house in order” in a way that kind of magically changes their lives.

It’s a whole thing.

Personally, I don’t give a shit about organization or tidiness (and I’m a nomad, so I don’t have a home to put in order), but based on her book being highly recommended by friends, I bought it, and found myself spellbound.

While Maria seems to be merely giving advice about how to fold clothes, organize books, and store miscellaneous items, her method is really a gentle revolution on how to live.

There’s so much about her method that I love, such as the way she encourages gratitude and mindfulness, and her subtly anti-capitalist way of viewing “stuff.”

Her method forces people to come into mindful contact with their belongings, to acknowledge the place of honor and respect their belongings deserve, which causes people to think more critically about buying and having so much damn stuff. There is a revolutionary feeling of respect, honor, and kindness throughout her work, as well as a subtle movement toward minimalism, and a streak of pure childlike whimsy.

Before Marie puts a home in order, she kneels and takes a few minutes to silently introduce herself to the house. This tiny gesture is unheard of in our go-go-go western culture, because we’ve been conditioned to view ourselves as too busy and important to pause to talk to a house.

We’ve also been conditioned (thank you, colonialism) to see our belongings as things to acquire, use, and discard without a second thought. We tend to say “this is mine so I can do whatever I want with it,” while Marie’s style is more

“this is mine, so it’s my duty to protect and honor it.”

This subtle mindset shift has the power in and of itself to change lives. What would happen if we all adopted this mindset in all of our relationships, be they with objects, animals, humans, or the earth?

Marie’s whimsy also comes through when she uses semi-magical-sounding phrases of personification, such as “only hang up clothes that look as though they would be happier hung,” and “balling up socks is stressful for them, so be sure to fold them in a way that allows them to rest.”

It’s adorable. (I don’t know if this concept appeals to me because of the empathy-via-personification part of my brain or what, but I love the idea that some items are happier on hangers, and that socks need to be folded carefully or else they get anxious.)

But the most important thing about Marie’s message, and the reason I’m talking about her now, is the way she encourages people to listen to their bodies, and trust themselves.

Marie’s entire method is based on the idea that a person’s body will tell them which items should be kept or tossed; that their intuition will tell them where things belong; that if they tune inward the answers will all be there.

Though not the point of the book, this method gently promotes self-trust, and tuning into the sensations in one’s body.

Marie asks her readers to hold up each object they own, to touch it with their hands and be mentally present with it, and to notice whether or not it sparks a feeling of joy in their bodies.

If it does, great! You keep that item. If it doesn’t, that item gets discarded.

What a stunningly simple way of helping people tune into the wisdom of their bodies and souls! What a sneaky way of teaching people to listen to and trust their intuitions!

I cannot tell you how happy it makes me that this book is so popular, because it means that millions of people, especially women, across the world will learn two important things:

An extremely simple way to tuning into the sensations in their body (which are otherwise typically very hard to pick up on), and

A raised bar for what is worth giving their time, energy, and attention.

The truth is that nothing is worth having in our lives if it doesn’t spark joy. Not people, not animals, not places, not objects. Not relationships. Not jobs. Nothing.

But most people don’t go around noticing if stuff sparks joy, for a few reasons.

First of all, we’ve all been taught that life is hard and we just gotta grind through it, so “good enough” is supposed to be what we strive for.

More importantly though, most people are so damn disconnected to their bodies that they have no idea what sparks joy inside them! It takes time and practice to tune into that kind of signal inside of us, and after a lifetime of being taught that those feelings are untrustworthy, unimportant, false, invalid, selfish, or dangerous, that can be extremely difficult!

In an effort to feel valid and respected, we often ignore our feelings altogether and try to use “logic” to guide us. Sadly this method doesn’t work, so life quickly becomes overwhelming and confusing.

Trying to use your head to make decisions that only your body was designed to make leads inevitably to houses filled with stuff you don’t like, relationships that don’t suit you, a life that’s not fulfilling, and a chronic feeling of anxiety.

I can’t tell you how often my clients describe a gut feeling, and then talk themselves in the exact opposite direction, either because they consider the feeling invalid, or because they don’t feel like they deserve to live a life that sparks joy.

The wisdom of our bodies has all the answers you could ever possibly need, but you have to be willing to listen.

If you listen, your body will tell you what to keep and what to toss, where things belong, who to talk to, what career to choose, who to date and who to marry, and what to do and say in every single situation. It will tell you everything.

The only reason you don’t have these answers already is because you haven’t learned to tune in and listen to these messages, to respect and trust them, and to let them guide you.

While I help a lot of my clients do this through coaching, Marie Kondo has provided a gentle framework for masses of people to practice the same thing by simply asking themselves, over and over and over: when I tune in, how does this feel to me?

Or, put her way: Does this spark joy?

Here’s to hoping that this cultural phenomenon is part of a movement toward more embodiment, more self-trust, and more women across the world living a life of FUCK YES, instead of “that’s fine.”

With sparks of joy,

<3 Jessi

The post {#TransparentTuesday} The Magic of Tidying Up. appeared first on Jessi Kneeland.

http://bit.ly/2WLdbY7

[joshuabradleyn]

{#TransparentTuesday} The Magic of Tidying Up.

Have you heard of Marie Kondo?

For those of you who haven’t, Marie wrote the book The Magic of Tidying Up, and has a new show on Netflix in which she goes into family homes, and teaches them how to “get their house in order” in a way that kind of magically changes their lives.

It’s a whole thing.

Personally, I don’t give a shit about organization or tidiness (and I’m a nomad, so I don’t have a home to put in order), but based on her book being highly recommended by friends, I bought it, and found myself spellbound.

While Maria seems to be merely giving advice about how to fold clothes, organize books, and store miscellaneous items, her method is really a gentle revolution on how to live.

There’s so much about her method that I love, such as the way she encourages gratitude and mindfulness, and her subtly anti-capitalist way of viewing “stuff.”

Her method forces people to come into mindful contact with their belongings, to acknowledge the place of honor and respect their belongings deserve, which causes people to think more critically about buying and having so much damn stuff. There is a revolutionary feeling of respect, honor, and kindness throughout her work, as well as a subtle movement toward minimalism, and a streak of pure childlike whimsy.

Before Marie puts a home in order, she kneels and takes a few minutes to silently introduce herself to the house. This tiny gesture is unheard of in our go-go-go western culture, because we’ve been conditioned to view ourselves as too busy and important to pause to talk to a house.

We’ve also been conditioned (thank you, colonialism) to see our belongings as things to acquire, use, and discard without a second thought. We tend to say “this is mine so I can do whatever I want with it,” while Marie’s style is more

“this is mine, so it’s my duty to protect and honor it.”

This subtle mindset shift has the power in and of itself to change lives. What would happen if we all adopted this mindset in all of our relationships, be they with objects, animals, humans, or the earth?

Marie’s whimsy also comes through when she uses semi-magical-sounding phrases of personification, such as “only hang up clothes that look as though they would be happier hung,” and “balling up socks is stressful for them, so be sure to fold them in a way that allows them to rest.”

It’s adorable. (I don’t know if this concept appeals to me because of the empathy-via-personification part of my brain or what, but I love the idea that some items are happier on hangers, and that socks need to be folded carefully or else they get anxious.)

But the most important thing about Marie’s message, and the reason I’m talking about her now, is the way she encourages people to listen to their bodies, and trust themselves.

Marie’s entire method is based on the idea that a person’s body will tell them which items should be kept or tossed; that their intuition will tell them where things belong; that if they tune inward the answers will all be there.

Though not the point of the book, this method gently promotes self-trust, and tuning into the sensations in one’s body.

Marie asks her readers to hold up each object they own, to touch it with their hands and be mentally present with it, and to notice whether or not it sparks a feeling of joy in their bodies.

If it does, great! You keep that item. If it doesn’t, that item gets discarded.

What a stunningly simple way of helping people tune into the wisdom of their bodies and souls! What a sneaky way of teaching people to listen to and trust their intuitions!

I cannot tell you how happy it makes me that this book is so popular, because it means that millions of people, especially women, across the world will learn two important things:

An extremely simple way to tuning into the sensations in their body (which are otherwise typically very hard to pick up on), and

A raised bar for what is worth giving their time, energy, and attention.

The truth is that nothing is worth having in our lives if it doesn’t spark joy. Not people, not animals, not places, not objects. Not relationships. Not jobs. Nothing.

But most people don’t go around noticing if stuff sparks joy, for a few reasons.

First of all, we’ve all been taught that life is hard and we just gotta grind through it, so “good enough” is supposed to be what we strive for.

More importantly though, most people are so damn disconnected to their bodies that they have no idea what sparks joy inside them! It takes time and practice to tune into that kind of signal inside of us, and after a lifetime of being taught that those feelings are untrustworthy, unimportant, false, invalid, selfish, or dangerous, that can be extremely difficult!

In an effort to feel valid and respected, we often ignore our feelings altogether and try to use “logic” to guide us. Sadly this method doesn’t work, so life quickly becomes overwhelming and confusing.

Trying to use your head to make decisions that only your body was designed to make leads inevitably to houses filled with stuff you don’t like, relationships that don’t suit you, a life that’s not fulfilling, and a chronic feeling of anxiety.

I can’t tell you how often my clients describe a gut feeling, and then talk themselves in the exact opposite direction, either because they consider the feeling invalid, or because they don’t feel like they deserve to live a life that sparks joy.

The wisdom of our bodies has all the answers you could ever possibly need, but you have to be willing to listen.

If you listen, your body will tell you what to keep and what to toss, where things belong, who to talk to, what career to choose, who to date and who to marry, and what to do and say in every single situation. It will tell you everything.

The only reason you don’t have these answers already is because you haven’t learned to tune in and listen to these messages, to respect and trust them, and to let them guide you.

While I help a lot of my clients do this through coaching, Marie Kondo has provided a gentle framework for masses of people to practice the same thing by simply asking themselves, over and over and over: when I tune in, how does this feel to me?

Or, put her way: Does this spark joy?

Here’s to hoping that this cultural phenomenon is part of a movement toward more embodiment, more self-trust, and more women across the world living a life of FUCK YES, instead of “that’s fine.”

With sparks of joy,

<3 Jessi

The post {#TransparentTuesday} The Magic of Tidying Up. appeared first on Jessi Kneeland.

http://bit.ly/2WLdbY7

[neilmillerne]

{#TransparentTuesday} The Magic of Tidying Up.

Have you heard of Marie Kondo?

For those of you who haven’t, Marie wrote the book The Magic of Tidying Up, and has a new show on Netflix in which she goes into family homes, and teaches them how to “get their house in order” in a way that kind of magically changes their lives.

It’s a whole thing.

Personally, I don’t give a shit about organization or tidiness (and I’m a nomad, so I don’t have a home to put in order), but based on her book being highly recommended by friends, I bought it, and found myself spellbound.

While Maria seems to be merely giving advice about how to fold clothes, organize books, and store miscellaneous items, her method is really a gentle revolution on how to live.

There’s so much about her method that I love, such as the way she encourages gratitude and mindfulness, and her subtly anti-capitalist way of viewing “stuff.”

Her method forces people to come into mindful contact with their belongings, to acknowledge the place of honor and respect their belongings deserve, which causes people to think more critically about buying and having so much damn stuff. There is a revolutionary feeling of respect, honor, and kindness throughout her work, as well as a subtle movement toward minimalism, and a streak of pure childlike whimsy.

Before Marie puts a home in order, she kneels and takes a few minutes to silently introduce herself to the house. This tiny gesture is unheard of in our go-go-go western culture, because we’ve been conditioned to view ourselves as too busy and important to pause to talk to a house.

We’ve also been conditioned (thank you, colonialism) to see our belongings as things to acquire, use, and discard without a second thought. We tend to say “this is mine so I can do whatever I want with it,” while Marie’s style is more

“this is mine, so it’s my duty to protect and honor it.”

This subtle mindset shift has the power in and of itself to change lives. What would happen if we all adopted this mindset in all of our relationships, be they with objects, animals, humans, or the earth?

Marie’s whimsy also comes through when she uses semi-magical-sounding phrases of personification, such as “only hang up clothes that look as though they would be happier hung,” and “balling up socks is stressful for them, so be sure to fold them in a way that allows them to rest.”

It’s adorable. (I don’t know if this concept appeals to me because of the empathy-via-personification part of my brain or what, but I love the idea that some items are happier on hangers, and that socks need to be folded carefully or else they get anxious.)

But the most important thing about Marie’s message, and the reason I’m talking about her now, is the way she encourages people to listen to their bodies, and trust themselves.

Marie’s entire method is based on the idea that a person’s body will tell them which items should be kept or tossed; that their intuition will tell them where things belong; that if they tune inward the answers will all be there.

Though not the point of the book, this method gently promotes self-trust, and tuning into the sensations in one’s body.

Marie asks her readers to hold up each object they own, to touch it with their hands and be mentally present with it, and to notice whether or not it sparks a feeling of joy in their bodies.

If it does, great! You keep that item. If it doesn’t, that item gets discarded.

What a stunningly simple way of helping people tune into the wisdom of their bodies and souls! What a sneaky way of teaching people to listen to and trust their intuitions!

I cannot tell you how happy it makes me that this book is so popular, because it means that millions of people, especially women, across the world will learn two important things:

An extremely simple way to tuning into the sensations in their body (which are otherwise typically very hard to pick up on), and

A raised bar for what is worth giving their time, energy, and attention.

The truth is that nothing is worth having in our lives if it doesn’t spark joy. Not people, not animals, not places, not objects. Not relationships. Not jobs. Nothing.

But most people don’t go around noticing if stuff sparks joy, for a few reasons.

First of all, we’ve all been taught that life is hard and we just gotta grind through it, so “good enough” is supposed to be what we strive for.

More importantly though, most people are so damn disconnected to their bodies that they have no idea what sparks joy inside them! It takes time and practice to tune into that kind of signal inside of us, and after a lifetime of being taught that those feelings are untrustworthy, unimportant, false, invalid, selfish, or dangerous, that can be extremely difficult!

In an effort to feel valid and respected, we often ignore our feelings altogether and try to use “logic” to guide us. Sadly this method doesn’t work, so life quickly becomes overwhelming and confusing.

Trying to use your head to make decisions that only your body was designed to make leads inevitably to houses filled with stuff you don’t like, relationships that don’t suit you, a life that’s not fulfilling, and a chronic feeling of anxiety.

I can’t tell you how often my clients describe a gut feeling, and then talk themselves in the exact opposite direction, either because they consider the feeling invalid, or because they don’t feel like they deserve to live a life that sparks joy.

The wisdom of our bodies has all the answers you could ever possibly need, but you have to be willing to listen.

If you listen, your body will tell you what to keep and what to toss, where things belong, who to talk to, what career to choose, who to date and who to marry, and what to do and say in every single situation. It will tell you everything.

The only reason you don’t have these answers already is because you haven’t learned to tune in and listen to these messages, to respect and trust them, and to let them guide you.

While I help a lot of my clients do this through coaching, Marie Kondo has provided a gentle framework for masses of people to practice the same thing by simply asking themselves, over and over and over: when I tune in, how does this feel to me?

Or, put her way: Does this spark joy?

Here’s to hoping that this cultural phenomenon is part of a movement toward more embodiment, more self-trust, and more women across the world living a life of FUCK YES, instead of “that’s fine.”

With sparks of joy,

<3 Jessi

The post {#TransparentTuesday} The Magic of Tidying Up. appeared first on Jessi Kneeland.

http://bit.ly/2WLdbY7

[racingtoaredlight]

More Holiday Filler

Every year, television stations trot out the same stable of holiday movies and replay them all for weeks leading up to Christmas Day. Most of these movies are genuinely beloved by millions, and really do deserve to be shown at least once. But, as someone tasked with meeting the demand for content (albeit on a much smaller scale), I can assure you that those in charge of network programming are beyond ecstatic that they can basically slap these babies into their timeslots without a second thought, and with minimal effort. Nobody wants to bust their hump around the holidays, so reusable content is a godsend. 

It’s in that spirit of abject laziness that I’m presenting a classic RTARL holiday  post for you today. Please enjoy, and bask in the familiarity. 

Howdy, folks! Rick Steves, here. I’ve long held that the best way to find the cultural heartbeat of an area is to take in a local competition. What better way to get a sense of the traits people value, then to see how they determine the best among them? For example, if I’d never attended the annual Ejaculation Relay Races of Salamanca, I’d have never discovered the superhuman and borderline cruel level of sexual endurance the locals possess. It’s that same thirst for knowledge and absolute authenticity that drove me to take an extra special, once in a lifetime trip to the North Pole. I’d long heard rumors of a tournament that could fundamentally alter the lives of spectators, to say nothing of those directly involved. I decided this was something I needed to experience for myself, and then pass along to you. I present to you my firsthand account of the 2016 North Pole Elf Kumite.

Trying to pin down the exact origin of the Elf Kumite proved to be a thorny task at first. Given that the event takes place in a fanciful land only accessable via Christmas Magic, the reporting on it has been practically non-existent. I quickly learned that the locals were a bit reluctant to share the secrets of the Kumite with “outsiders.” Fortunately, I was able to corner the Snowman who operated the local laundromat, and after a few minutes of light torture with a hair dryer, he told me everything he knew.  

Legend has it that on Christmas Eve 1990, a VHS copy of the Jean-Claude Van Damme classic “Bloodsport” somehow made it’s way into Santa’s magical bag from a home in rural Florida. Somebody had rented this particular copy from a Dunedin Blockbuster in June of that year, and then just never returned it because Florida. How it made it’s way into the bag remains one of life’s great mysteries, but make it’s way it did. At some point during the post-Christmas cleanup, an elf named Smiley rescued the film from a dumpster. Smiley had spent that particular year in the Home Theater department of Santa’s Factory, so he recognized instantly what it was. Exposure to human culture beyond toymaking was strictly forbidden by Santa, but something compelled Smiley to defy the jolly old elf’s wishes. Whether he was driven by a desire to rebel against an authoritarian regime, or by the sight of Van Damme’s smooth, tree-trunk-like quadriceps, who can say for sure?

Smiley brought the tape home, and proceeded to sneak VCR and television components from the factory, bit by bit. After a few weeks, he had what was allegedly a pretty sweet setup. There was but one thing left to do: watch the movie. And Smiley did. And as soon as it was over, he rewound it and watched it again. And again. When Smiley didn’t show up for work the following day, another elf named Kickstand was sent to check on him. Incidentally, Kickstand was so named because his father was legendary for his bicycle building abilities. It had nothing to do with the size of his genitalia. Although when I pressed the Snowman for details he revealed that in a hilarious bit of whimsy, Kickstand was in fact swinging some serious pipe. Anyway, upon knocking on Smiley’s door, Kickstand was immediately grabbed and dragged into the makeshift theater, where he too became enchanted by what he saw. When neither Smiley nor Kickstand were heard from all day, a group of concerned elves made their way to Smiley’s to try and get to the bottom of the situation. They too, were mesmerized by Van Damme and his preposterously flexible groin. 

By now, there was no more room left inside Smiley’s home, but more and more elves were showing up to see what was happening. Smiley had an idea. He and a band of allies went to the factory, and quickly rounded up the parts necessary to build a large projector and a pair of giant speakers. They worked tirelessly, and built a projector that would broadcast a picture 500 feet across and 250 feet high, along with a sound-system that would make Hollywood composer John Williams shit his dick. A team of elves dragged the contraption to the edge of town, and aimed it at the giant glacial wall that served as their border. Smiley pressed “play.”

The Asian-influenced synth beats of the opening theme rattled buildings and shook the very ground beneath them. Every elf in the North Pole was drawn to the clearing at the edge of town. They stood in awe, and absorbed the heroic journey of Frank Dux. When it ended, there was a minute or so of absolute silence. And then: rapturous applause. Just when it seemed as though it had reached a crescendo, it somehow became even louder and more primal. Somewhere within the crowd, an elf whose identity to this day remains unknown, threw a Chong Li-inspired palm strike into the nose of his nearest neighbor. The domino effect was instantaneous. Hundreds of elves paired off and threw down in no-holds-barred, hand-to-hand combat. The elves not engaged in battle chanted in full-throated unison “Kumite! Kumite!” The frenzy only lasted perhaps 15 minutes, but for the elves those few minutes contained an entire lifetime of vitality, excitement, and a not unwelcome twinge of fear. As the final battles wound down, a familiar refrain cascaded over the crowd from high above: “HO, HO, HO!”

Santa Claus landed his sleigh and gazed at the battered and bloodied elves massed before him. He demanded to know what had just taken place. Smiley stepped forward, and told Santa everything. After Smiley finished, Santa furrowed his brow and said “You’ve told me WHAT happened, but I still don’t understand WHY, Smiley?”

“Well Santa,” Smiley began, “We love making toys for all of the boys and girls, really! Making millions of children happy each and every year is the greatest job an elf could ever want! But, even the nicest and most generous elves need to take time to do something for themselves once in awhile. The greatest gift you can give a loved one is a happy you, after all.”

Santa thoughtfully considered Smiley’s words as he stroked his famously bushy beard. Finally, he spoke. “You know, you’re right, Smiley. You elves have been loyal workers for hundreds of years, and you deserve to do what you want to. From now on, ‘Bloodsport’ will be shown once a week in the brand new state-of-the-art theater I’m going to have built for you. In addition, we’re going to build an exact replica of the arena from your movie in the center of town, and once a year, you may hold your own Kumite.” The elves cheered and began to sing and dance, and the merriment lasted well into the night. The next day, the elves returned to the toy factory with a renewed sense of purpose, and true to his word, Santa saw that the facilities he promised were built. Every year since, The North Pole Elf Kumite has gone off without a hitch, and you could make the case that it’s very existence is the reason we still have Christmas as we know it.

Now that I had the backstory, I felt I could truly appreciate the event I was here for. I thanked Mr. Snowman, and told him that if he breathed a word of this encounter to anyone I’d lock his firstborn in a tanning bed. I left his laundromat, and started down the street toward the arena. Before I got there, however, I was drawn off course by the unmistakable sound of back-alley fellatio. I peered around a corner and happened upon a prospector servicing an Abominable Snowman.

This was something I needed to be a part of, and I made my presence known. They turned out to be a married couple looking to spice things up by engaging in a public sex act. I suggested that if they were REALLY looking for some spice, they’d bring me back to their place for the weekend. They thought that was a fantastic idea, and it was! I’m sad to have missed the entire Kumite, including the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, but the chance to engage in a no-strings-attached sex bender involving a creature thought only to exist in myth was impossible to pass up. Evidently, the Elf Kumite was won by an elf named Clancy. So… congrats Clancy, I guess. I mean, I DID end up in a dimly lit room while someone was being pounded with babyarms. It’s pretty much the same thing. Happy Holidays, everyone!