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A little background on the Coffee Break Reading List. On my original blog, Homeschool Coffee Break, I started doing an occasional round-up of some of the stuff around the internet that I'd found interesting and worth passing along. Since it was a blog mostly about homeschooling, I tried to make sure I was including articles of particular interest to home educators, but when I was no longer homeschooling my own kids, it got a little harder to keep ahead of homeschool topics, and eventually the Coffee Break Reading List was retired. I've brought it back in this space, but not with the homeschooling focus. Just some interesting and fun things that I hope others will find interesting and fun as well.
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Some of the things around the web that I've been reading or exploring during recent coffee breaks:
It's fairly common knowledge among my family and friends―and possibly among my readers― that we don't have anyone to socialize with here. At least not yet. I wouldn't say we don't have friends, exactly―just no friends that we know well enough to invite over for dinner, to attend an event with, or even to meet somewhere for coffee. We're getting there though. So when I stumbled across an article at Outside titled The Art of Talking to Strangers, it caught my attention! Apparently, striking up a conversation with a stranger is more often pleasant than not, and isn't as difficult as it might seem. Maybe I need to invent a conversation-starter scavenger hunt similar to the one the author mentions? Challenge myself to start chatting with at least two or three strangers whenever I am out and about?
What do you think about this Federalist article featuring an interview with actor Harrison Ford? The article's title asserts: We Don't Have a Mental Health Crisis. We Have a Lifestyle Crisis. When a reporter asked Ford about therapy sessions and about fans wondering if he had a social anxiety disorder, Ford responded that he didn't have social anxiety―he just hated boring situations. The article goes on to discuss the rise in all kinds of mental health issues, and concludes with something to consider: Maybe we don't need therapy nearly as much as we need to limit our screen time and spend more time outside and interacting with real people instead.
Here's something fun you might want to do outside - birdwatching! Anita Ojeda shares lots of self-care tips on her blog, and I really enjoyed this one awhile ago: 3 Surprising Reasons Why Birding Can Help You. Diet, exercise, and good sleep habits are known to ward off problems like Alzheimer's, and researchers are exploring how learning new things can be helpful as well. In any case, exercising brain cells by using them and learning things is definitely a good thing, and birding is an excellent hobby for doing that, no matter what your physical fitness level is.
To help out with bird identification, check out the free Merlin Bird ID app that helps you identify birds by appearance and sound, and lets you keep track of which ones you've spotted. There's also a free Audubon Bird Guide App and an Audubon Guide to North American Birds. Find out more at my Homeschool Coffee Break post: The Great Backyard Bird Count - Can You Name Each Tiny Bird? from earlier this year.
Flag Day is tomorrow - June 14th. Check out another Homeschool Coffee Break post to learn more about it: Flag Day
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Quotable (I enjoy hunting up little quotes to add to my Five Minute Friday posts, and do a weekly Wednesday Quotes post based on interesting quotes, but I've still got such a collection that I have to keep sharing them!):
Find something you're passionate about and keep tremendously interested in it. ~Julia Child
I've been looking over the list of spring chores I made up last fall, and darned if they aren't fall chores, after all. ~Robert Brault
O Coffee! Thou dost dispel all care, thou are the object of desire in the scholar. This is the beverage of the friends of God. ~"In Praise of Coffee," Arabic poem (1511)
Evangelism is pastoring non-Christians. Pastoral care is evangelising Christians. We must never divorce the seeking of lost sheep from the shepherding and protection of them. Instead we evangelise the people of God with the good news of Jesus and we pastor our friends and neighbours, pointing them to the Good Shepherd. Evangelism and pastoral care are the very best of friends. ~SpeakLife.org.uk
It is thanks to my evening reading alone that I am still more or less sane. ~W.G. Sebald
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Some fun things I've found during coffee breaks:
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Something I watched during coffee break:
Other than bits and pieces of the shows my husband has been watching, I don't think I've watched any TV or movies in quite awhile. I haven't even been watching a lot on YouTube or Rumble, just short clips or music videos. I follow several podcasts on Spotify, but here's one that's also on YouTube, and an episode that I think is definitely worth watching. The weekly Cooper Stuff podcast is awesome - here's an episode from about a month ago:
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What I've been reading during longer coffee breaks:
A Perilous Perspective by Anna Lee Huber
Beneath A Peaceful Moon by Debby Lee
Man of Shadow and Mist by Michelle Griep
A Man With One of Those Faces by Caimh McDonnell
On my reading pile for upcoming coffee breaks:
Find out more at my book blog Just A Second.
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Found anything interesting on the web lately? Read any good books? Leave a comment and let me know!
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I am a huge Dorothea Benton Frank who passed away a few years ago. She wrote about the islands and life around Charleston. My daughter lived there for a few years so I had some familiarity with the area. I am now reading a book written by her daughter. The jury is still out. I did read Killers of a Certain Age and loved it!
ReplyDeleteWe have lived in our area for eight years. We moved to a new condo last August. Surprisingly, my husband (who is not known for being overly social) has found a best friend. I, on the other hand, am still struggling. But, I agree that conversations with complete strangers are wonderful. When we traveled on Amtrak a few years ago, we had many fascinating conversations with strangers. And, that comment from the interview with Harrison Ford is interesting. I do think we need to address mental health in this country, but I also think too little real conversation goes on in families and other types of co-horts (for lack of a better word). Thanks for a thought-provoking post!
https://marshainthemiddle.com/
I do like reading books that are in settings that I'm familiar with. I've had Killers of a Certain Age sitting on my to-read pile for a long time and keep needing to read a review book or library book before I get to it. Someday!
DeleteReal friends, real conversations - even with strangers who might turn out to be friends! - and real family time would probably go a long way to help all of us be in better mental and emotional health. And maybe we'd then be in a better position to recognize the signs that our loved ones and neighbors need more focused help? I hope we get it right and look out for each other better - thankful there are still a lot of good people in the world!
also thankful that you took the time to read and visit with me today!