would love to check it out once you start it up. please share! btw - when i first read this comment, I thought you meant you were starting an in-person pub that served drinks/food :)
i was like ahh that could totally be a way to build soil (community). clearly im a bit sleep deprived from having a newborn in the house haha
Mine will revolve around the overlapping area of AI/tech, well-adjusted real life and what I've found myself calling 'emerging meaning-reaching subcultures', and related subjects.
I make potting soil and grow stuff in my apartment, at a somewhat strange scale given the space, though I do have a large floor to ceiling window, so that helps. Mostly, though, it's your "Metaphor for Most Things' that hit home for me.
Turning waste streams like cardboard, paper, kitchen scraps, etc into soil, taking walks and hikes to pick up leaves, fallen wood and microbe-rich forest soil, experimenting with weed teas and making things like LAB and even playing around with bioplastic... it's so much fun, and at the same time you can't rush it if you want the best product, or force it into being something you want it to be, but isn't.
You can just give it some help, but too much does more harm than good. You just feed and water it a bit, and let it do its thing... like most things of significance in life. Trying to twist nature to your selfish, short-sighted personal agendas, like all the ideological and political tribes do, doesn't work. Reality doesn't bend to our pipe dreams. We either learn to find our way within it, or both get in our own way, and become bad soil that grows the weeds of society instead.
Let's totally build some soil, though, literally/too!
Wonderful! So true in life that actually if we just nourish the soil all these other goals and achievements float and land into place. We live in more easeful alignment. Somatics is key ❤️
Beautiful reflection, Sam. I enjoyed the metaphor of soil health. I see it in my own life, in so many ways. It’s live in my writing, in my meditation, even in homeschooling my kids (a new season of building soil). It also makes me smile to know that only a few years ago our smartest soil scientists “knew” we could never create soil, only destroy it. That’s a metaphor in itself.
I’m so glad to see you returning to writing and sharing more of your journey. And I owe you a text when I’m back. It’s been on my mind for a while.
Thanks Latham! not surprised you've encountered the metaphor in your own live given your interests and experiences. excited to chat more whenever things align. would love to hear about your early experiences homeschooling. i wanted to weave in soil building as it relates to raising kids but quickly realized it required it's own post!
But…. I believe that from the age of 50 we start to ‘grow into ourselves.’
Of course, some people never do. They are the ones who sleepwalk through the days. Never aware or interested in the complexities or intricacies of just being alive.
Sometimes life comes back to bite you. And you have to wake up and take responsibility for yourself.
Nobody is going to do that for you. I was hit by Severe Myalgic Encephalomyelitis at the age of 41. A direct consequence of trauma caused by violence, neglect and narcissistic behaviour of people in my life who should have been nurturing. And two husbands who tried to murder me.
I attempted suicide, in absolute extremis. And my younger son rescued me.
But here in the UK there is no treatment and no meds for what is a complex multi system neurological condition. And GPs know nothing and care even less. As they can’t just prescribe pills and get you out of the door, they don’t want to spend any time or energy in researching a different holistic approach.
So it’s down to us all, individually, to find our own ways of enduring. This takes massive commitment and huge courage. I have amazed myself at what I have been able to achieve and how I’m continuing to live the best way I can. Despite being housebound & bedbound and unable to walk. And now, losing my sight.
Meditation strengthens my spirit. It helps me to carry on courageously. Every day I make a little time to do small things which bring me joy.
I inherited a strong walking gene. Only in nature did I feel complete and safe. I used to walk for miles.
Now I have a feeder outside my bedroom window. I can watch the many blue tits and others who visit.
Some days I’m strong enough to sit and look out at my garden. It’s spring time and my camellias are looking beautiful. Lest I forget, I take great pictures thanks to my iPhone.
I used to listen to music constantly. Then life got in the way and I forgot. But I found Spotify a few months ago and I listen every evening and through the small hours.
It helps considerably to have a passion. Something that fascinates the hell out of you. So you want to find out more and more.
I spent 5 years learning the language, about the history and literature of my Celtic tribe.
I’m now fluent in Kernewek, the Cornish language, and a Bard of the Cornish Gorsedh. Very proud of myself. Especially bearing in mind that I was very ill all the time I was learning.
I’m the best version of myself that I can be and deliriously happy. With my 3 cats who take turns to lie beside me. Life is good. I turned 72 two days ago. I hope to go on for a good few years yet.
Hi Sam. I loved this piece. You can relate these principles to so many things, building a writing practice, building a healthy relationship to work (which is what I write about), building a healthy diet. Exercise is an area of my life that I frequently struggle with. The pattern for me is, I go all out, I injure myself, I suffer and stop moving. I recently started working with a personal trainer to learn form. It's made a big difference. Thank you for this. I intend to save it and keep coming back to it.
Thanks Cathy! cool to hear you've also experienced this idea in so many different areas. excited to check out your writing about work. good luck with the new adventures in exercise. working with a trainer and focusing on form is an awesome way to build that foundation!
The body is the soil for our life 💗💗
It's a eerie how much this echos one of the pillars of the pub I'll be starting here soon.
would love to check it out once you start it up. please share! btw - when i first read this comment, I thought you meant you were starting an in-person pub that served drinks/food :)
i was like ahh that could totally be a way to build soil (community). clearly im a bit sleep deprived from having a newborn in the house haha
Haha, well, that would be fun too?
Mine will revolve around the overlapping area of AI/tech, well-adjusted real life and what I've found myself calling 'emerging meaning-reaching subcultures', and related subjects.
I make potting soil and grow stuff in my apartment, at a somewhat strange scale given the space, though I do have a large floor to ceiling window, so that helps. Mostly, though, it's your "Metaphor for Most Things' that hit home for me.
Turning waste streams like cardboard, paper, kitchen scraps, etc into soil, taking walks and hikes to pick up leaves, fallen wood and microbe-rich forest soil, experimenting with weed teas and making things like LAB and even playing around with bioplastic... it's so much fun, and at the same time you can't rush it if you want the best product, or force it into being something you want it to be, but isn't.
You can just give it some help, but too much does more harm than good. You just feed and water it a bit, and let it do its thing... like most things of significance in life. Trying to twist nature to your selfish, short-sighted personal agendas, like all the ideological and political tribes do, doesn't work. Reality doesn't bend to our pipe dreams. We either learn to find our way within it, or both get in our own way, and become bad soil that grows the weeds of society instead.
Let's totally build some soil, though, literally/too!
Loved this Sam. Thank you
Thanks Ronan!
Beautiful essay. Could not agree more 👏
Thanks Mehdi
Wonderful! So true in life that actually if we just nourish the soil all these other goals and achievements float and land into place. We live in more easeful alignment. Somatics is key ❤️
Thanks Meryl! totally agree. and fun to continually see this pattern pop up in new parts of life
Beautiful reflection, Sam. I enjoyed the metaphor of soil health. I see it in my own life, in so many ways. It’s live in my writing, in my meditation, even in homeschooling my kids (a new season of building soil). It also makes me smile to know that only a few years ago our smartest soil scientists “knew” we could never create soil, only destroy it. That’s a metaphor in itself.
I’m so glad to see you returning to writing and sharing more of your journey. And I owe you a text when I’m back. It’s been on my mind for a while.
Thanks Latham! not surprised you've encountered the metaphor in your own live given your interests and experiences. excited to chat more whenever things align. would love to hear about your early experiences homeschooling. i wanted to weave in soil building as it relates to raising kids but quickly realized it required it's own post!
An interesting read. Thanks.
But…. I believe that from the age of 50 we start to ‘grow into ourselves.’
Of course, some people never do. They are the ones who sleepwalk through the days. Never aware or interested in the complexities or intricacies of just being alive.
Sometimes life comes back to bite you. And you have to wake up and take responsibility for yourself.
Nobody is going to do that for you. I was hit by Severe Myalgic Encephalomyelitis at the age of 41. A direct consequence of trauma caused by violence, neglect and narcissistic behaviour of people in my life who should have been nurturing. And two husbands who tried to murder me.
I attempted suicide, in absolute extremis. And my younger son rescued me.
But here in the UK there is no treatment and no meds for what is a complex multi system neurological condition. And GPs know nothing and care even less. As they can’t just prescribe pills and get you out of the door, they don’t want to spend any time or energy in researching a different holistic approach.
So it’s down to us all, individually, to find our own ways of enduring. This takes massive commitment and huge courage. I have amazed myself at what I have been able to achieve and how I’m continuing to live the best way I can. Despite being housebound & bedbound and unable to walk. And now, losing my sight.
Meditation strengthens my spirit. It helps me to carry on courageously. Every day I make a little time to do small things which bring me joy.
I inherited a strong walking gene. Only in nature did I feel complete and safe. I used to walk for miles.
Now I have a feeder outside my bedroom window. I can watch the many blue tits and others who visit.
Some days I’m strong enough to sit and look out at my garden. It’s spring time and my camellias are looking beautiful. Lest I forget, I take great pictures thanks to my iPhone.
I used to listen to music constantly. Then life got in the way and I forgot. But I found Spotify a few months ago and I listen every evening and through the small hours.
It helps considerably to have a passion. Something that fascinates the hell out of you. So you want to find out more and more.
I spent 5 years learning the language, about the history and literature of my Celtic tribe.
I’m now fluent in Kernewek, the Cornish language, and a Bard of the Cornish Gorsedh. Very proud of myself. Especially bearing in mind that I was very ill all the time I was learning.
I’m the best version of myself that I can be and deliriously happy. With my 3 cats who take turns to lie beside me. Life is good. I turned 72 two days ago. I hope to go on for a good few years yet.
Thanks for sharing your experiences and how you persevered through challenges
Hi Sam. I loved this piece. You can relate these principles to so many things, building a writing practice, building a healthy relationship to work (which is what I write about), building a healthy diet. Exercise is an area of my life that I frequently struggle with. The pattern for me is, I go all out, I injure myself, I suffer and stop moving. I recently started working with a personal trainer to learn form. It's made a big difference. Thank you for this. I intend to save it and keep coming back to it.
Thanks Cathy! cool to hear you've also experienced this idea in so many different areas. excited to check out your writing about work. good luck with the new adventures in exercise. working with a trainer and focusing on form is an awesome way to build that foundation!