Hey there,
Happy first day of March! Itās arguably one of my favorite months of the year, at least here in Central Texas (when I lived elsewhere it was ā¦not my favorite). Weāre seeing early signs of bluebonnets along the highways, and even though thatās a bit worryingly early, Iāll take the beauty and call it a win.
Weāre also at the stage around here of absolutely crawling to the end of next week where we can collapse into Spring Break. Ever since I started teaching I canāt unsee how challenging the school year is between Christmas and Spring Breaks āĀ thereās just something about this gray phase that feels so very āin between.ā Yes, finishing well to the finish line of May/June has its challenges, but the first few months of the second semester is that middle-of-the-marathon phase. Phewā¦ Iām relieved itās almost over.
Also also āĀ weāre 2.5 weeks into Lent. If you tacked on another week to that I would have nodded along and assumed yep, we were just at the halfway pointā¦ Only 2.5 weeks in? So far, this liturgical season feels long. Lent always is, of course. But āĀ just a bit over two weeks in? Thatās not right. Lord, give us the grace to persevere well.
5 Quick Things āļø
1.Ā Why do we valorize busyness? For several years now Iāve gone out of my way to make sure I donāt answer ābusyā when someone asks how Iām doing āĀ and if I am, to let that be a signal to me that somethingās off āĀ because weāre not supposed to be busy. I loved this piece by
because it shines a light on several layers of our culture: āBusyness only gives the veneer of productivity; it is common to be busy without being productive as well as to be productive without being busy. Busyness gives the impression of productivity because it relays a sense of activity and importance.ā2. A farmer I am not, but I do love the country and have grown a deep affection for the flora and fauna that make up our real world. I enjoyed this reflection by
on the virtues ofāsurprisinglyāsheep. Or maybe itās not so surprising, since sheep are so often our scapegoat (see what I did there?) for a good metaphor: āThat we are not an agrarian society is reflected in how we speak of sheep, that quintessential antithesis of leaders. Sheep are not interested in leading but are dreaming of a quiet rooted life. ā¦Today, to call someone a sheep is more often than not used as an insult. To be a sheep is to be an intellectual lightweight, unwilling to think for oneself, likely to follow blindly to oneās doom.ā3. My dear pal
is writing these daysāin his wheelhouseāon our lifelong quest for the real, and in this one he ties in this quest with his love of photography. Itās a good one: āThe Realāits definition is the sum of its words. Simply put, it is the actual-factual, by-God real stuff of the created world. And in this age of false, fungible, filtered, manipulated, AI-enhanced, tweaked, influencer-promoted, cotton-candy flavored, additive garbage, The Real is endangered. And if The Real is endangered, then its creators are an endangered species.ā4. Feeling the itch to read something that pushes you further out of āthe machineā and in to the real world?
and have compiled a list of their recommendations and I agree with quite a few of them! ā¦I canāt comment on them all, but I do highly, highly recommend Lewisā The Abolition of Man, which poignantly prophesied where weād be today once we left our foundational Tao (just read it, youāll see).5. And finally, one of my besties was on Pints With Aquinas and she did a fabulous job! Truly, Sarah oozes encouragement whether sheās on a long-form podcast or youāre clinking margaritas while sighing about the challenges of parenting. So grateful for her and what she puts out into the world. Her interview is a must-see (or must-hear āĀ here it is in audio form).
Currently Reading, Watching, Listening š»
U2ās old Joshua Tree live album, Disc 2 (going to a concert last week rekindled my affection for live music)
Quotable š¬
āIt is in the darkest skies that we see the brightest stars.ā
-Richard Evans
You're forced to suddenly live without one item of modern technology. Which one do you choose? š§āš¾
Iāve not wanted a TV for years, but Iām basically voted out by the majority in my household. Iād actually love to just use our projector and screen (install it from our ceiling) to make our movie nights more special, but alasā¦
And yes to the smartphone. Itās interesting how so many of us would like to do without it, yet the culture makes it increasingly harder to be smartphone-free (still worth it, though).
TV: 63.7%
Smartphone: 23.6%
Computer: 9.8%
Car: 2.9%
Find this weekās poll here.
Quick Links š
Question(s) For You to Ponderā¦ š¤
Who do you know that could use a phone call or a handwritten note?
Have a good weekend,
- Tsh
My favorite poll yet!
Oh my goodness, this week's poll is amazing! A great little bit of appropriate "busy(town)" fun in the middle...well, I guess not quite yet the middle, as you note...of Lent!
I'm so glad you liked the busyness piece. Thank you for sharing it.