best Arthur episode ever

Do you ever find yourself watching a children's show, and when it ends you think, "Whoever wrote that had a lot of fun in the writers room. And possibly a toxic amount of espresso."


I was watching Arthur with Miss C today and I don't usually love this show.


But this episode had an appearance by Neil Gaiman, and then this falafel maker who dispenses deep thoughts on life, and a concept of round people versus pointy people (pointy people always need to make a point!) and I wanted to rewind it and watch it again.

If you are a fan of falafel, or Neil Gaiman, or have an inner-critic when you'd rather have an inner-Neil, or are writing your first graphic novel and need a boost of support, I share with you, Falafelosophy:




If you don't want to give 9 minutes to this, I'll give you the edited version, in print:

"What you seek will be found.
Trust ghosts.
Trust those that you have helped to help you in their turn.
Trust dreams.
Trust your heart, and trust your story.”

---Neil Gaiman, from Instructions

Why Men Need Women

"At work, we sorely need more women in leadership positions. We already know from considerable research that companies are better off when they have more women in top management roles, especially when it comes to innovation. Professors Dezso and Ross have recently shown that between 1992 and 2006, when companies introduced women onto their top management teams, they generated an average of 1 percent more economic value, which typically meant more than $40 million. "

         From Why Men Need Women, by Adam Grant

        Terrible title but a fascinating read. 

Retitled Disney Films

"Here's a funny series of posters for some of Disney's classic animated films that gives us a brutally honest title based on the themes of the story. They highlight the content, stereotypes, and tropes of the films. The posters come from Christine Gritmon and Nick Nadel of TheFW."

Brutally Honest Posters For Classic Disney Animated Films 

Thanks to Leslie for sharing this one. 

A Birthday Gift

Fiona is a neighborhood teenager who babysits Miss C.

Fiona will be turning 16 and her mother is giving her an incredible gift.  It's such a neat idea that I wanted to share it. 

She is asking those that know her daughter to write her a note or letter answering these three questions:

What do you wish you knew when you were 16?

What strengths and positive attributes do you know about Fiona?

What unique gifts and abilities do you see that Fiona possesses?

What do you wish you knew?

I wish I knew that many of the things about my self I judged as odd or idiosyncratic are some of my most colorful qualities.  That I could celebrate these instead of trying to sand the edges of them and make them fit a tiny black and white puzzle that I'd created in my mind. 

I wish I knew that asking questions is okay, and making changes based on the answers to those questions is okay. 

I wish I knew that making mistakes is one of the best ways to learn, but also that yesterday's lesson never applies to what I need to learn today.  It belonged to yesterday and today has something entirely new for me to learn.  

I wish I knew that relationships are meant to heal us and teach us about ourselves, and heal us and teach us some more, repeat, forever. 

I wish I knew that there is no there.

I wish I knew that doing something that inspires my heart is one of the fastest and funnest (yes I know that's not a word )ways to learn more about myself and the world.  And will always lead me to the next funnest (now I've used it twice) or interesting thing that I need to know.

I wish I knew that God was bigger than the religion I thought s/he belonged to.

I wish I knew that reading other people's lessons was not half as valuable as learning my own specific lessons.  

Finally, I'm glad I didn't know all these things then because it gave me something to learn from age 16 to Current Sage. 

Now back to Fiona and the other two questions.  

Well Fed

My mom used to have a tin sign that hung in our kitchen, "To school well fed on Grape Nuts."

I think it was all about the giant dog pictured, a St. Bernard, since my mom once loved a St. Bernard.

And you know what they say: Once you love a St. Bernard, something something Grape Nuts. 



I know a woman who says Anyway twice.  She never says it once.  When she transitions, she says, "Anyway anyway."  It's rather endearing.

Anyway anyway.

There is a blogger and life coach named Rachel Cole who writes about living a Well Fed Life.  Not just in the sense of physical food.  But feeding the hungry parts of the self.
She describes herself as a "fierce advocate for women feeding their truest hunger."  She asks other women how they conceive a well-fed life.  I love reading these guest posts.    This one caught my mind and anyway, anyway, I'm sharing it.

Enjoy the feast.

Another Glorious Reason (as if we needed any beyond Pure Delight)

"...individuals who frequently read fiction seem to be better able to understand other people, empathize with them and see the world from their perspective. This relationship persisted even after the researchers accounted for the possibility that more empathetic individuals might prefer reading novels. A 2010 study by Dr. Mar found a similar result in preschool-age children: the more stories they had read to them, the keener their theory of mind — an effect that was also produced by watching movies but, curiously, not by watching television. (Dr. Mar has conjectured that because children often watch TV alone, but go to the movies with their parents, they may experience more “parent-children conversations about mental states” when it comes to films.)"

---from Your Brain on Fiction, by Annie Murphy Paul

So pick up that novel, or children's book, or scooch together for a family movie night and profound post-discussion with your kiddo.

It's good for you. 

Skillz

I am in the kitchen peeling hard boiled eggs and listening to The Maytrees by Annie Dillard. 

His fondness for humans did not extend to girls, who were less interesting than frogs, and noisier.

C enters and stands in the doorway, listening.

Girls had no higher wish than to get old enough to wear make-up.

 C: "Who is saying that?"

I tell her it's a story, and that this part is about a boy.

"How old is this boy?"

"He's 11."

"But what he's saying is his opinion.  And it's fiction."

"It is fiction," I say.

"And his opinion.  Because you do other things besides wear make-up."

"I do."

"Lots of other things."

"So many."

"Like, you make make egg salad."

Then she leaves the kitchen and I'm left making egg salad.