Under whose shade
Did we do it? Did we reach terminal velocity yet?
Hm. Well, let's keep going.
Since we're all still on this ride, how about we steal a minute to ease way down, slow our breathing down too, and take a closer look at some things than we ever have before? Beautiful things, that is. I mean get in there reeeeeal close. Look at that: patterns, repetition, dimension. Who knew all that was hiding under there?
It's soft fascination time, derlin's.
Zoom in with me:
- In Takoma Park, Maryland, there's a repurposed pay phone where you can dial up a counterpoint to all the stress-inducing traffic noise in the area. Composer, violinist and audio engineer David Schulman won an artist's grant in 2016, bought an old pay phone off of eBay and set about installing "BIRDSONG!," a public art piece offering moments of calm to anyone who passes by, picks up the receiver, and presses a button. Each digit leads to a different local native birdcall (borrowed from Cornell's ornithology center) along with spoken information in three languages (Amharic, English, Spanish) about that species. You can also press 0 or 411 to learn about migratory patterns. Birdsong and other nature sounds can lower blood pressure, cortisol levels, and even the perception of pain, so if you can't make it to Maryland anytime soon, maybe clear a windowsill and invest in a birdfeeder? I'm honestly considering it.
- Speaking of flying creatures with with heavenly biophilic properties: have a look at these butterfly wings, magnified under macrophotographer Thorben Danke's careful eye. Bonus points if you spend some time thinking about how seldom anybody's surface tells the full story.
- Three cheers for Janet Willoner, who considers growing a few thousand trees before she dies to be a "reasonable legacy." She figures she has 10 years left and can manage about 5,000 seedlings, and would be even happier if some of us follow suit and do however much we can, intimidation be damned. "It's not difficult at all," she says. "Basically what you're doing is burying seeds in soil, and the seeds know what to do."
- Y'all know about Vanessa Imani, right? This young queen improvises lyrics and melodies on the spot while one of her grownups plays piano behind her, and each creation is its own perfect thing. She understands foundational song structures and has a knack for building her vocals (and making up words!) as she goes. Stick around for an entire song and you might find yourself called out, called in, gathered and inspired. The interplay between these two is true jazz, real flow, pure joy.
- Just some thoughts from Denmark about building another kind of society, starting with considerate copywriting.
- Ireland is working toward permanent status for its wildly successful pilot program offering its artists a basic income. They're planning to broaden it out, too, to include more types of creative disciplines. (And for the tedious person approaching the mic with more of a comment than a question: it's not charity. The arts, properly invested in, reap economic benefits for the country and bring in far more than they cost. Take a look at these receipts. Should that matter? No, it shouldn't. But anyhow, the math is mathing.)
- Speaking of Irish people doing cool shit...
Now go have the week you want, or at least the week you need.
"A [person] has made at least a start on discovering the meaning of human life when [they] plant shade trees under which [they] know [they] will never sit."
—Nelson Trueblood, The Life We Prize, 1951
19 October 2025
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