Little full. Lotta sap.

Growing up, we always cut Eastern Red Cedars off our property to use as Christmas trees. I hold firm in my belief they are the ugly cousin to the Douglas Fir, but nostalgia brings value and thinking sustainably, taketh what the land giveth. Part of the process of repurposing a tree for the holiday is to water it periodically to ensure it lasts until the long-awaited 25th. I find it ironically humorous that we ultimately kill something, dress it up and then nurture it a little because we don't want it to die too quick for the sake of our enjoyment. 

There is speak of how most of our human decisions are subtly centered around reproduction. From how we cut our hair, learn to play the guitar, what clothes we buy, to the diet we subscribe to, to the job we take, each small decision is made to more skillfully attract a mate. 

From a higher level though, in my opinion, our mortality is a bigger driver. Yes, we may want to breed and carry on the species, but we also have a looming pressure that our time to do that act is limited and that we are on a vague timeline with a hard stop. 

Talking about this hovering biologic countdown could be perceived as morbid and sad, and on the surface it is but I'd argue that it should be motivating. It's the reason you should try to enjoy your Tuesday as much as the two days at the end of the week. Don't wait to do what you want to do. 

Just like the procured cedar, we're all living a slow fun mortality so you may as well live it fully. Death makes life worth living. 

Keep smilin'

JM

New in my life: Acorn ornaments make for a sassy cedar. That's what they called me in high school. Calculating backyard farming. I'm a coyote man. 

The Bear Necessities of Hibernation

Seasonally, we're changing. There are more browns in the landscape, more frequenting northern winds, and a caloric sense of urgency from the foragers of the forest. Recently, I harvested a deer off of the same field where I find arrowheads in the spring when they till. There's a primitive connectivity to the hunters that came before me that warms the soul. 

It's good to have followers. A lot of you upon reading that sense that I'm referring to social media. I'm speaking though in the broader societal definition of the word. We need sheep and we need shepherds to keep things moving along. And, while I'm an advocate of the "dare to be different" model of thinking, doing what other people do isn't a harmful activity as long as it's rooted in the improvement of the individual and/or tribe. 

We do what our circle does. We're wired that way and our herd mentality has helped us climb the mammalian totem pole (contradicting, the most important chiefs were actually documented at the bottom of actual tribal totem poles for increased viewership. Save that nugget for trivia night). 

In the age of the internet, it seems that everything has been done and the pursuit of discovery is minimal. But that's why personal discovery is even more vital. 

For the sake of your human enrichment, if an audit of your hobbies includes watching a screen or keeping up with other people's happenings, I'd encourage you to throw a little cayenne into your spare time activities. 

Try to discover your own new entertainment. Maybe it's woodworking, reading a book each month, growing a garden or chickens (thanks covid), or simply looking for old rocks in a tilled-up field. Albeit, it may not be a brand new concept, but it's new to you and better for your soul than keeping up with the Jones'. 

New in my life: Subtle sustainability via the Mighty Oak and Black Walnut. Fuzzy socks, hardwood floors, and a smoking hot cup of coffee.  Shoulder workouts finally paid off. 

Keep smilin'

JM

Biota Forged by Fire

There is a natural energy that assumedly we all know but rarely address. It has many layers and forms a chain starting with dirt, channeling through plants and then animals eventually ending up in muscles and then completing the cycle by returning to the soil. Many variables influence this vitality and there is a litany of science behind it. At times, how nature progresses can seem random but with thought, the synchronized nutrient flow is a thing of amazement. 

As I commandeer dirt to feed my newly purchased mint seeds, I think about what sources would make the best plant home. It may seem obvious, but not all dirt is created equal. For example, one that has been flooded and untouched for years will make a healthier base than a sandy clay-laden ground. You want your bucket full of enriching nutrients which in turn will be a hearty meal for your future food or forb. 

With life, most of us have different social spheres we run in at different times and/or chapters. Your tribe by default could be your family and at the same time hopefully, you have a cornucopia of friends. Additionally, you have Barb from accounting that you occasionally grab a beer with but spend most of your waking hours around at work.  Depending on your level of extrovert, you may even have multiple different friend groups with them separately orbiting around your schedule and from time to time intersecting with one another. 

Visually I like to think about this balancing of social groups by using a metaphorical tool known as a shoulder yoke. If you're not familiar, it's worth a google and good for a random trivia answer down the road.  For centuries our early homesteaders used these to carry their buckets from the water source or crop from fields or maybe gold or maybe puppies. Options are endless. 

Sticking with the visualization, we're all communally shoulder yoking our groups using a finite amount of energy. Depending on the day and company, how we spend our time and energy may feel obligatory or it may be fulfilling. And just like the aforementioned homesteading tool, there is a balance between those two. 

The nitty-gritty of it is: the more complex your life happens to be, most likely, the more social buckets you carry. It's important to take deep breaths and think about which ones are going to provide you the most amount of moral and personal enrichment. Strive to have your surrounding people filling your bucket versus draining it. 

Just like choosing the nutrient makeup of soil for your plant children, you want the caliber of people you're surrounded by to help you grow.  Yep. 

New in my life: New Rolodex, who dis? I barter rummy lessons for snacks. Chickens, wildflowers and blues are a helluva drug. 

Keep smilin'

JM

For the Love of Trees

As I'm waking up in this hotel it's a foggy morning and outside my window, there is a robin spouting a cacophony of notes trying his damndest to find a friend. Robins have a pretty tune and when I say pretty, I mean in the same way that the German and Russian languages are pretty.  It's not the smoothest of avian swooning but hey, I'm rooting for my bronze breasted buddy. 

Listening to his feathered tune reminds me how momentary everything is and how bird contentment should be our goal. He's not thinking about how it's a shame that 70 years prior, his bucolic parking lot was once a prairie-laden buffet of life. Or that given the chance, mother nature would return it to that state. He's just doing his best with what has been given to him. 

Eventually, the fog burns off and gives way to clarity. The sun is undefeated in that match-up. Aside from meteorology, we live in varying states of fog throughout our time on earth. Speaking personally, I have chapters where there is a clear-cut goal to achieve but also have chapters where I doubt myself about tying my shoes. Similar to our sun being a victorious constant, even when I have a high degree of doubt, optimism wins. 

If you frequent the major media outlets (social included), you're familiar with the aforementioned fog. I think what many of us have forgotten or don't realize is that the more divisive media can make us, the longer we stay on their platforms and the more value their advertising dollars bring. This isn't opinion, it's research laced with economics. 

Until there is a major reform of how we get our news, the leading sentiment will not be hope or optimism. It will be attention-grabbing dramatics. That leaves us with a social responsibility to produce our own shining promise on a daily basis. 

When you have a normal friendly interaction with a stranger at the gas station, do you come away with the same feeling you get when watching the news or scrolling on the Facebook? My point here being, the world isn't as bad as our passive entertainment wants us to believe. People are generally good and you're as happy as you make up your mind to be. 

The call to action here is challenging you to avoid your screens for a while, consume positive content, interact with fellow humans and go out into the world with your own view versus one that is produced for you. Yep.

New in my life: The Missouri River has trout in it. Turkeys are gobblin'. Let the land of Dollar General and Casey's Pizza begin. 

Keep smilin'

JM