Categories
Something Wonderful

How “Free to Be… You and Me” Shaped Me and Why I Wish It Was Still Popular

When I was in elementary school we would have occasional assembly days — often toward the end of the school year — when we would just watch a movie. I’m sure it was to give the teachers a break. The two movies I remember seeing over and over again, year after year, were Old Yeller and Free to Be… You and Me.

The first, of course, was that classic, heartbreaking Disney film about two boys and their dog. The second was a show (originally a television special) made up of different spoken and musical segments, starring Marlo Thomas “and friends.”

Free to Be… You and Me was originally a record album and a book, something I didn’t know until I was well into adulthood. The television special, which was based on the album, came out in 1974. According to the album’s liner notes, the project was conceived when Thomas was searching for a bedtime story for her niece Dionne “and found, with few exceptions, shelf after shelf of books and records, for boys and girls, which charmingly dictated who and what they must be. … I wanted something… to celebrate who she was and who she could be, all the possibilities and all the possible Dionnes.”

Free From Gender Stereotypes

The value of Free to Be… You and Me is the way it defies gender stereotypes. If you’re inclined to roll your eyes and think, “Oh, great — feminist brainwashing,” hear me out. The unfortunate stereotype of feminism is “male-bashing,” but that’s not at all what this (or what true feminism is). Free to Be… You and Me is just as much about liberating males from stereotypes as it is about liberating females. Is there anything more freeing than not having to suppress your emotions simply because you’re male? And possibly no one could deliver that message more powerfully than retired football player Rosey Grier.

Those who are suspicious of feminism might also rejoice in the message of the “Ladies First” segment — being a “lady” doesn’t entitle you to special treatment.

But while Free to Be… taught girls not to abuse their gender, it also taught them that their gender didn’t need to confine them. In the early to mid-1970s, girls still were surrounded by messages that their ultimate goal should be marriage. We read fairy tales that ended in marriage and “happily ever after,” played with bride paper dolls, and married Barbie off to Ken. The message from the “Atalanta” segment was refreshing: There’s nothing wrong with marriage, but you don’t need to be married to live “happily ever after.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-77_cVnmUQ&t=5s

Somewhat Dated But Still Necessary

There’s no doubt that Free to Be… You and Me can appear a bit out-of-date in a culture that has, in some ways, changed dramatically since the album and film came out. In 2012, one millennial writer wrote, “I also laughed out loud during my first listen to ‘Parents Are People,’ where Harry Belafonte and Marlo Thomas list of all the things that mommies and daddies can be, but point out that mothers ‘can’t be grandfathers. Or daddies.’ Tell that to Thomas Beatie, the transgendered Oregon man who gave birth to a girl in 2008.”

But despite the writer’s assertion that she grew up believing that she could be anything, “a doctor, a lawyer, a musician, whatever,” there are still occupations, such as construction and nursing, that are dominated by people of a particular gender. And there’s a more subtle message in the song that’s right there in the title: parents are people. I’m afraid that didn’t really sink in for me until I was an adolescent, but it’s good for children to hear. Child, you are an important part of your parents’ lives, but they are more than just your parents.

What strikes me about Free to Be… is how so much of it is still relevant today. When I read the comments on the “It’s Alright to Cry” video on YouTube, it’s clear that the message is still one that people, particularly boys, need to hear. And in the Instagram age, girls still need to hear Roberta Flack (or, on the album, Diana Ross) sing, “I like what I look like” in “When We Grow Up.” If only we women would absorb that message instead of “you aren’t pretty enough.”

The clip below, from the television special, features Flack and Michael Jackson.

Perhaps someday the entire album or show will be updated and remade. In the meantime, the theme song was redone by musician Sara Bareilles. It may be old and somewhat obscure these days, but Free to Be… still has a lot to say.

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Make a Difference

Can Writing Fan Mail Make a Difference?

Photo by Karolina Grabowska from Pexels

When I wrote about sayings to live by, I didn’t include one of the things taped to my office wall, because it encompasses more than just a short quote. What I wrote down is a shorter version of a tweet that one of my favorite podcast hosts, Linda Holmes, retweeted. Specifically I wrote: “‘Fangirl out’ – If you like someone’s work, you should tell them. Even if you don’t think they need to hear it.”

But while the tweet that Holmes shared is at the heart of what I want to live by, I loved her additional comment about writing a heart-felt thank you note. It made me wonder: What if I started sending fan letters — not in the hopes of getting something, but simply to tell someone “I like your work”?

A fan letter a week

Since then, I’ve been trying to write a “fan letter” every week. There have been plenty of weeks when I’ve missed writing that letter — we just added a new dog to our house, so I skipped this week’s letter in favor of helping her acclimate to her new home — but I’ve sent far more fan mail this year than I have throughout the rest of my life.

It’s not that I’ve never written such mail before. I wrote a lengthy fan letter to Bruce Cockburn about 15 years ago, because I think he’s amazing. After I published Geek Culture, I sent a copy to David Tennant, because I thought he might appreciate a book about fans and fandoms, especially one with a cover photo of someone cosplaying the Tenth Doctor. But I’ve only recently made writing fan letters a regular practice. Many of the people I write to are writers, from the famous (N. K. Jemisin) to the not-so-famous (Katie Langston — I’ll be reviewing her book soon). But I’ve written to other celebrities, too, including Tan France of Queer Eye, who helps me see wardrobe possibilities I don’t normally think of (I’m not good at putting together outfits), and political strategist Mike Murphy, because I appreciate his desire for a better world and concerns about the direction his political party is taking.

As much as possible, I try to send real letters. I figure if what I write actually crosses the recipient’s desk, and if it is meaningful to them in any way, a letter is a lot more fun to hang on to than an electronic message. But if all I have is a “contact us” page, or if, as in the case of Langston, I just want them to hear right away how much I love their work, then I will communicate electronically.

And, as I mentioned at the outset, I write with no expectations. I’m well aware that many people will probably never even read what I write, and if they do, I certainly don’t expect to hear back from them. These letters aren’t for me; they’re for the recipients. The important thing is that I reach out to let them know I enjoy their work — even if I think that they get so much fan mail that they will never see my words of appreciation. You never know.

Beyond fan mail

I’m concentrating on fan mail with my efforts, but of course there are other ways you can let people know you appreciate what they do. Folks who are fairly new in their field might see and be grateful for a glowing review on Amazon or even Google (there’s no reason you can’t write a fannish review of a plumber). You can thank a service person for their excellent work and then follow up with a positive note to their manager. You can email a coworker and say, “I really appreciate the way you kept the meeting moving along and kept us all on topic. I wish more people ran meetings that way.”

Whatever you do, the point is to let someone know that their work has made a difference in your life. Maybe their movie made you see something in a new light or their song brought you great joy. Maybe they made the best pad thai you’ve ever tasted. Whatever it is, let them know. Don’t let their fame (or lack thereof) stop you. Everyone can have days when they need the lift you get when hearing “well done.” You may never know whose life you have touched by reaching out to let them know you’re a fan.

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Something Wonderful

The Joy of Seasonality

Image by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay

I’m going to sound old here, but bear with me. Once upon a time, we had less control over what we could watch on television. If you wanted to watch a holiday special, you had to wait until it aired in the days leading up to the holiday. And while there was always a danger you’d miss your favorite special (What if you couldn’t be at home to watch it? What if NBC and CBS ran two specials you liked at the same time? The horror!), this was one of the things that made seasons special to me. I loved opening our newspaper’s weekly TV insert, flipping straight to the “specials” section, and circling all of the shows I wanted to see that week.

Now the specials aren’t so special. I can watch How The Grinch Stole Christmas! any time I want.

Granted, that was the only way I was forced to confine my holiday celebrations to certain seasons. Recordings of Christmas music have been available since at least the mid-1930s, and if you had musical training and access to an instrument, you could play Christmas music any time you wanted long before that. For centuries, you could read the story of the Nativity in your family’s Bible in June as easily as December. So the demise of the holiday television special isn’t that big a deal; it was here for only a few decades anyway.

Despite my fond memories of seasonal specials, for many people in the world, it’s been possible to celebrate your favorite holidays or seasons whenever you wanted if you were willing to defy cultural norms. Thanks to refrigerators, freezers, and worldwide shipping, you can even eat seasonal foods out of season, and many of us do so without thinking about it. Is seasonality really that big deal?

I’d argue that it is, because part of what makes your favorite season or holiday special is its fleeting nature.

That doesn’t mean it’s wrong if you want to listen to your favorite Christmas music in May.

Let me make it clear that this post isn’t meant to be judgmental. If you love to Christmas music year-round, who am I to say “don’t play it; it’ll be more special that way”? I understand the sadness of saying goodbye to a favorite season for another year (especially summer, which is far too short where I live). And I’ve certainly done things out of season. As far as I’m concerned, sometimes on a really bitter January day, there’s nothing wrong with spending a day in the Como Conservatory, pretending it’s actually summer.

Also, seasonality can vary from one person to another. I admit to feeling a bit sad when everyone turns off their Christmas lights on January 2, as if they were tired of Christmas. As a big fan of celebrating all twelve days of Christmas (December 25-January 5) and someone who really hates January, I can do with a little holiday cheer in the first days of the new year. But my definition of the Christmas season may vary from yours, and you may, perhaps, wonder why I continue to turn on my tree lights for several days after you’ve taken your tree down.

I do draw the lines at stores and restaurants. I understand the desire to push the next holiday as soon as one is over, so that the Valentine’s Day stuff gets put out on January 2, but it really distresses me to see Christmas stuff before Halloween and Valentine’s Day stuff before Christmas.

However, since stores don’t seem to care about seasonal cranks like me, I guess I’ll have to stick to focusing on seasonal celebrations in my own home.

How might we stay in season?

I love seasons and holidays, but I also like keeping things (relatively) simple; the way I celebrate a season might appear dull to you or too involved to someone else. Nevertheless, here are some of the things I’ve done to make seasons special:

  • I try to focus on seasonal eating. Of course, we all do that to some extent. We have picnics in the summer and eat soups and stews in the winter. We also all — except for the really dedicated folks, whom I admire — have been known to eat out of season. I don’t screen my recipes carefully to make sure all of the fresh fruits and vegetables in it are in season. But I do try to eat lots of seasonal food. There is absolutely nothing like a fresh strawberry from a local farm in June. This year I bought a ton of strawberries and took some to a party and used some in strawberry shortcake. It’s every bit as exciting as it was to be a kid hunting for holiday specials in the TV guide.
  • I make seasonal playlists. If you are a regular reader, you probably know I have an autumn playlist and a playlist for Independence Day. I also have playlists for spring, summer, winter (non-Christmas music), Advent, Christmas (actually two playlists — one classical, one everything else that I own), St. Patrick’s Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and rainy days — not to mention a BeauSoleil album I bought to listen to on Shrove Tuesday (or Fat Tuesday). Of course not every song on every playlist is reserved for that season, but gray November days are a bit better when I can pull up my Thanksgiving playlist.
  • I sometimes indulge in seasonal reading. I read a lot, and most of my reading isn’t related to a particular season, but it can be a lot of fun to read a book of Christmas mysteries in December or something by Neil Gaiman in October.
  • And, of course, there’s seasonal viewing. I’m not really into Hallmark holiday movies, but ask me if I want to watch Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer in December, and my answer is “yes.” This past year, due to the pandemic, I emphasized seasons and holidays even more than I usually do and so, while many people I know skipped their annual viewing of Groundhog Day (in the words of two different people I know, “This year every day feels like Groundhog Day”), on February 2 I watched that movie for the first time in years.
  • To a lesser extent I decorate the house for some holidays. Honestly, I don’t want to deal with the expense and effort that goes into a lot of decorating, but I do like to a little nod to the seasons with things like autumnal potpourri in the fall. And at Christmas I go all out (for me) with a Christmas tree, a nativity scene, an advent wreath, and sometimes a few other touches.
  • Likewise, I don’t put a great deal of effort into seasonal clothing (I had to borrow an ugly Christmas sweater from my kid for a Zoom party last year), but there is something special about cozy wool socks in the winter and wearing a sundress on a hot summer day.
  • And, of course, I try to take advantage of seasonal activities. Being a summer person, I try to make a point of taking a break from deskwork and housework to go outside and enjoy the warmth and sunshine. In my least favorite season, winter, I bake more, make valentines (albeit not particularly good ones, since I’m craft-challenged), and generally try to find ways to enjoy my time indoors. If I were a really good seasonal person, I suppose I’d get outdoors into the crisp, cold (really cold) weather and indulge in winter sports, but… nah.

So, to steal and misuse a line from Ram Das, choose to “be here now.” There’s a lot to be said for enjoying whatever season we are in to its fullest.

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Make a Difference

Sayings to Live By

“… love wastefully”

Last year I wrote about adages that I try to live by.

More recently I’ve been collecting quotes from social media and pop culture and posting them on the wall beside my desk to remind myself of how I want to live.

Some of the quotes I’ve written down aren’t really about making a difference. Toward the end of my favorite anime (Hunter x Hunter), one character shares the following bit of advice: “Enjoy the little detours to the fullest, because that’s where you’ll find the things more important than what you want.” That seemed particularly apropos during a pandemic, but I don’t know that living by it will help me make a difference (other than perhaps being a more pleasant person to be around).

But three of the sayings I’ve collected can, I think, help us change the world in some small way. Here they are:

“Gentle but fierce”

I follow Mark Ruffalo on Twitter, not so much because I’m a fan (although I do like his work in the Avengers movies), but because I’m interested in what he has to say. Because I interact with others on Twitter far more than I interact with him, he doesn’t usually pop up at the top of my feed. Somehow, his birthday post last year managed to catch my attention — again, not for the reason you might think. The post features (tasteful) photos of him in a bubble bath. But what caught my eye was his message, which ended, “Set out to defy the limitations life, self, and others have in mind for you. Be gentle but fierce about it.”

I rather like his message about defying limitations, but my favorite part was the phrase “gentle but fierce.” And the more I thought about, the more I thought it’s a great way to handle life in general, not just limitations that are imposed on you. Angry confrontations are all around us; the world needs our gentleness. But gentleness doesn’t mean failing to stand up for what’s right. That’s where we are called to be fierce. What would the world look like if we resolved to try to embody being “gentle but fierce”?

“Live fully, love wastefully”

This is pulled from a quotation from John Shelby Spong, a retired bishop of the Episcopal Church. I believe I also saw this somewhere on social media, probably Instagram. The full quotation (more or less — I’ve seen different versions online) is “live fully, love wastefully, and be all that we can be.” I was presumptuous and decided I could improve on it. First, I believe that if you are living fully, you are already being all that you can be, so the third part of the quotation seems redundant to me. “Be all that we can be” also sounds far too much like an Army commercial from my youth for me to take it seriously. So I just wrote down “Live fully and love wastefully” and taped it to my wall.

My insistence on editing Spong aside, I do love the idea of living fully and loving wastefully — especially the loving wastefully bit. Again, it seems to me that the world would change drastically if we would try to live by those words, pouring out love, loving others extravagantly, recklessly, even wastefully. What if we loved others with no regard for whether or not our love would be appreciated or returned? What a beautiful waste! It’s a goal I’ll never fully achieve, but it’s one worth striving for.

“That’s how we’re gonna win. Not by fighting what we hate but saving what we love.”

If you’re a Star Wars nerd, you’ll recognize this line. Rose Tico says it to Finn toward the end of The Last Jedi after preventing Finn from sacrificing himself for the good of the Resistance.

Some fans hate that line, asking: Wasn’t that what Finn was trying to do — save the Resistance? They make a valid point. The writer gave Rose a great line, but he put it in a questionable context. (I wonder, though… Was Finn really acting out of a desire to save what he loved, or was he actually driven by his hatred of the First Order? In this series, the answer to that question really matters.)

Context aside, I love the notion of focusing our efforts on saving what we love rather than fighting what we hate. If we focus on fighting what we hate, then even if we “win,” we may find that we have been reduced to our hatred. But if we focus on saving what we love, we are more likely to come out of the conflict without having become the very thing we despised.

I think all three of these quotations belong together. The first combines the gentleness that can be found in love with the fierceness we need to fight for what is right. The second again calls us to love, even when that love seems like a waste, as well as to live fully, which can be difficult to do if we don’t bring a certain ferocity to life. The third calls us to exercise the strength that can be found in love as we face the things that would challenge that love. If we can do that, I have no doubt we’ll make a difference in the lives of those around us.

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Something Wonderful

Classical Music for July 4: Beyond the Usual Suspects

Image by James Smith from Pixabay

This post wasn’t planned. It just sort of happened when I fell down a research rabbit hole.

Every year as the U.S. Independence Day approaches, I consider purchasing some seasonally appropriate music. While I love many music genres, for some reason I gravitate toward classical music for July 4. I already have a collection of marches by John Philip Sousa, a recording of Aaron Copland’s Rodeo and Billy the Kid, and Ferde Grofé’s Grand Canyon Suite, along with a few individual pieces, such as “Chester” from William Schuman’s New England Triptych: Three Pieces for Orchestra After William Billings.

This year, as I contemplated buying some Duke Ellington (yes, he wrote classical music, too), I wondered: What else could I add to my collection to diversify it? I began poking around, discovered some gems, and this playlist was born. All of these pieces are by U.S. composers, and all of them sound, in my mind, distinctly “American,” because they draw on influences such as jazz, spirituals, and even high school marching bands. Most of these were new to me, and I’m willing to bet that many will be new to you, too.

Note: You may have to be content to sample some of these on YouTube. For instance, I found one Naxos recording that included a single piece by Viet Cuong (not the one on this list). I found a few more of his pieces on Spotify, but only one movement from Re(new)al. Unfortunately, it isn’t the one that really made me think, “Re(new)al belongs on this list!”

Re(new)al – Viet Cuong

I was introduced to Cuong’s music just over a week ago at a St. Paul Chamber Orchestra concert, and I liked what I heard. When I decided I wanted to diversify my Independence Day music collection, I thought of him and wondered, “Do any of his pieces sound distinctly American?” As a matter of fact, the answer is “yes.” Cuong was a member of a high school’s marching band. You can hear the influence in Re(new)al. As far as I’m concerned, anything that is evocative of the half-time show during a football game qualifies as “distinctly American.” (Be patient. The marching band section starts around 4:45.)

From Atlanta to the Sea – Frank Duarte

Frank Duarte wrote this march in celebration of the 150th anniversary of the song “Marching Through Georgia.” Popular with the Union Army, the song celebrates General Sherman’s March to the Sea. Duarte drew inspiration not only from that song but from Sousa’s marches and songs such as “The Yellow Rose of Texas” and the U.S. “Army Song.”

Suite From The River – Duke Ellington

If your knowledge of Ellington’s music is confined to his excellent jazz standards like “Satin Doll” and “Take the ‘A’ Train,” you absolutely must check out his Suite from The River. While you’re at it, listen to Black, Brown, and Beige, another appropriate pick for an Independence Day playlist.

Bethena Waltz – Scott Joplin

Pretty much anything by Scott Joplin would fit comfortably on this list. I chose “Bethena Waltz” simply because I think it is a gorgeous piece.

Einstein on 6th Street – Daniel Montoya

Daniel Montoya’s “Einstein on 6th Street” was inspired by American composer Philip Glass’ opera Einstein on the Beach. He also draws inspiration from the numerous live music performances that can be found in venues on 6th Street in Austin, Texas.

Fantasie Negre no. 1 – Florence Price

Florence Price was a Black composer active during the first half of the 20th century. Inspired by a spiritual, “Fantasie Negre no. 1” easily belongs on this list of American music. Listen, and I think you’ll agree with me that it’s stunning. Then read James Bennett’s essay and ponder the fact that the world of classical music isn’t all that different from pop music. You hear a relatively small number of songs over and over, while other songs are sadly neglected.

Symphony #1 – William Grant Still

Other than Ellington, William Grant Still was the only other composer on this list I knew before I started researching diverse American composers… and, sadly, I know relatively little about him. His Afro-American Symphony draws on the blues and spirituals.

Chokfi (Rabbit): Sarcasm for String Orchestra and Percussion – Jerod Tate

Jerod Tate’s “Chokfi” is, in his words, a “character sketch” of the trickster rabbit that appears in Southeast American Indian cultures. He also incorporated a Muscogee Creek church hymn in the music.

Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman #1 – Joan Tower

In 1986, Joan Tower wrote her first “Fanfare of the Uncommon Woman.” She’s followed it up with five more fanfares, the latest of which was written in 2016. If you’re well-acquainted with classical music, you’ll know from the title alone that Tower was inspired by Copland’s “Fanfare for the Common Man,” a staple of many Independence Day playlists.

Where to Look for Additional Inspiration

It wasn’t difficult for me to find information on Florence Price and Joan Tower through simple Google searches for Black composers and American female composers. Beyond that, one of my best resources for researching diverse composers was the Composer Diversity Database. There’s lots of good information there; I’ve only scratched the surface so far. In addition, I appreciated the opportunity to learn more about American Indian composers in the NPR article “American Indian Composers Go Classical.”

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Make a Difference

The Mennonites Can Teach Us How to Make a Difference

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

I am not a Mennonite, but I own four books published by Herald Press, an imprint of Menno Media. I cherish these books because they have a lot to teach me about topics like simplicity and justice.

Three of the books are cookbooks: the classic More-With-Less Cookbook by Doris Janzen Longacre, Simply in Season by Cathleen Hockman-Wert and Mary Beth Lind, and Extending the Table by Joetta Handrich Schlabach. The fourth book, Living More With Less by Doris Janzen Longacre addresses sustainable living. If you want to learn more about making a difference, you can’t go wrong with these books.

More-with-Less Cookbook

This is the book that started it all. In the 1970s, the Mennonite Central Committee called for Mennonite and Brethren in Christ community households to consume 10 percent less food in order to address North American overconsumption and world need. The committee then commissioned a cookbook with recipes that could help households respond to their call to use less. The cookbook is filled with recipe submissions, mostly from the United States and Canada. Think of it as a church cookbook on steroids, covering a larger territory than your typical church cookbook and built around a specific purpose: caring for the hungry by reducing overconsumption.

My copy of the cookbook is a reprint of the original 1976 edition. It contains introductory chapters on the world food situation as it was at the time, a theological reflection on the importance of reducing food consumption in North America in order to address global hunger, suggestions for building a simpler diet, and reflections on how such a diet does not need to be plain or joyless. The chapters that follow include sections with recipes for breads; cereals; beans, soybeans, and lentils; main dishes and casseroles; eggs, milk, and cheese dishes; meats and fish; soups; vegetables; salads; desserts, cakes and cookies; preserves; and snacks and non-food items, such as laundry soap and play-dough.

This is the cookbook I use the least, because it feels a bit dated. Some of the recipes call for margarine, which I never use. But despite the fact that I don’t turn to this book that often, I find it valuable. It does include recipes my family enjoys, especially easy lentil stew. It also has suggestions for leftovers at the end of many of the chapters, including listings of recipes elsewhere in the book that can help you use leftovers.

The 40th anniversary edition, published in 2016, apparently includes some updates to recipes, which may be just what the cookbook needs to keep it fresh. Regardless, using it can help cooks focus on more responsible eating.

Simply in Season

This cookbook is particularly useful for those who wish to cook more in-season foods. Once again, the cookbook is based on contributed recipes. It is divided into five main sections: one with recipes for each season and an “all seasons” section. A short introductory section gives advice on storing and preparing different fruits and vegetables. Some of the recipes I’ve tried have been just “okay,” but others are quite good, particularly the taco soup and slow cooker chili in the All Seasons chapter.

There’s lots of additional material scattered throughout the cookbook, including information on things like crop diversity and personal reflections on food. At the end of each section, there is a list of “invitations to action,” such as visiting a farmers market, starting a community garden, sharing meals with others, buying fairly traded products, and encouraging your grocery store to carry locally grown food.

Extending the Table

The Mennonite Central Committee commissioned this cookbook “to promote global understanding and celebrate the variety of world cultures.” It is by far my favorite of the three cookbooks. It’s one I turn to often, because so many of the recipes I’ve tried are very flavorful. Once again, the recipes were submitted, but this time they come from around the world. Among our favorites are African greens (sukuma wiki) from Kenya, an assorted vegetable sauté (oseng oseng sayuran) from Indonesia, bang bang chicken (bang bang ji) from China, and shrimp curry (chingri mash torkari) from Bangladesh. Like Simply in Season, this cookbook includes supplemental information scattered throughout, including short essays on subjects such as water, marketplaces, and cornmeal porridge, which can help give us a more global perspective on food.

Living More With Less

Living More With Less is very different from the three cookbooks I’ve mentioned. The 30th anniversary edition, the one I own, is made up of three parts. The first part is introductory material. The second addresses five “life standards”: do justice, learn from the world community, nurture people, cherish the natural order, and nonconform freely. The third part is made up of personal stories from people who are trying to live just, sustainable lives. This part is organized around topics such as money and stewardship, cooking and eating, recreation and schedules, and strengthening each other and organizing communities.

The chapters on the five life standards are informative and include practical suggestions. In the chapter on learning from the world community, contributors from Indonesia and Paraguay ask if Americans could try to make do with fewer kitchen appliances. In the section on nonconforming freely, one person from Canada wrote about choosing to live without their van for a year.

We announced our decision to members of our small Mennonite congregation. In the weeks that followed, another couple said they were retiring their old car. With money from a provincial incentive program, they went car-free and bought bus tickets. Another couple sent around an email and said they intended to keep their car but set up a borrowing policy for those who need it. … With these actions in our small, faith-based community, we were embodying a hint of what a more sustainable, interdependent society could look like.

Part 3 is even more useful, filled with ways we can lighten our impact on the planet and care more for our neighbors. In a chapter on homes, one contributor wrote about how his family chose a roofing contractor based on what the company planned to do with the old shingles; the contractor they chose takes the shingles to a place that recycles them into road substrates. The Clothes and Bodies chapter includes a story about a couple who consciously decided to wear shirts that promote nonprofits rather than clothing with brand names. In the Recreation and Schedules chapter, the director of athletics from Eastern Mennonite University shares ways families can balance kids’ sports time with family time.

Some of the ideas in this book won’t be new to you. I wasn’t surprised by a suggestion to wash laundry in cold water; for years, I’ve rarely used anything but cold water to wash clothes. But there are so many ideas for living more simply in this book that I doubt anyone could come away without something new they could try.

We don’t have to be Mennonites to appreciate the ways the contributors to these books are dedicated to justice, the environment, love, and the global community. Any or all of these books are worth checking out from your library or purchasing for yourself.

A note about my next post…

Life is very full right now. I’m enjoying good things, like seeing a family member for the first time in more than a year now that we are all fully vaccinated. I’m also dealing with difficulties, like a pet who isn’t very interested in his food any more. I’m going to take a short break from the blog and return when I have a little more bandwidth. I believe this will be sometime in mid- to late June.

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Something Wonderful

Four Reasons Why You Should Know About Plautilla Nelli

Saint Catherine Receives the Stigmata by Plautilla Nelli

Plautilla Nelli is the first known female artist to have worked in Florence.

I only recently learned about Plautilla Nelli, a nun and painter who lived in Florence during the 16th century. Although she did not receive formal training as an artist, she taught other nuns to paint and led a workshop in her convent. I ran across her name when reading a public radio story about Advancing Women Artists, a nonprofit dedicated to uncovering and restoring the forgotten works of Florence’s female painters. Intrigued by this groundbreaking artist I’d never heard of, I starting reading about her and looking at pictures of her known works. Only 17 of her paintings and sketches have been identified, although one of her contemporaries claimed that “there were so many of her paintings in the houses of gentlemen in Florence, it would be tedious to mention them all” (source: the AWA article on Nelli).

The work we do have is remarkable, particularly considering her lack of formal training and the fact that she was not allowed to study anatomy.

Nelli’s Last Supper is impressive.

The Last Supper by Plautilla Nelli

Nelli’s Last Supper is the only known painting on the subject by a woman during the Italian Renaissance (see “Renaissance woman Plautilla Nelli’s Last Supper unveiled after restoration in Florence”). The painting is approximately 21 feet wide and six-and-a-half feet tall. Her attention to detail in this large-scale work is evident everywhere, from the elaborate table setting to the emotions expressed by Jesus’ disciples. The painting compares favorably with many other Last Supper paintings from the Italian Renaissance. (For some reason, the article I’ve linked to with examples of these paintings gives the wrong dates for Nelli’s painting.) If I ever have the good fortune to be in Florence, I definitely want to visit the Santa Maria Novella Museum to see this painting in person.

The women in Nelli’s Lamentation With Saints really look like they’ve been crying.

Lamentation With Saints (detail) by Plautilla Nelli

Take a look at the women surrounding Jesus after he has been removed from the cross. Their eyes and noses are red, as if they actually have been crying. Just like the Last Supper painting, this Lamentation demonstrates Nelli’s attention to detail and concern with portraying emotion in her painting.

Nelli wasn’t shy about including women in her Pentecost painting.

Pentecost (detail) by Plautilla Nelli

Many paintings of the Pentecost from Nelli’s time feature Mary, the mother of Jesus, at the center of the artwork. In Moretto da Brescia’s painting, Mary is the only woman present. Titian places Mary and two other women at the center of his painting. Girolamo Muziano also includes only three women in his painting. But Nelli puts five women at the center of Jesus’ followers as they receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. In my eyes, this seems like a radical statement. How I wish I could meet Nelli and talk with her about her decision to give women such a prominent place in the birth of the Christian church.

There is so little we know about this talented and apparently prolific painter. Perhaps we will never learn much or recover many of her works. But from the little we have, it’s clear that Nelli is another female artist worth knowing about.

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Make a Difference

Ordinary People Making a Difference: Ian Gibbs

Photo of Danielle Nicole Band by Ian Gibbs
Photo of Danielle Nicole Band by Ian Gibbs

When my friend Ian Gibbs announced that he was going to sell his concert photos online and donate the gross profits to charity, I was pretty sure that someday I’d ask him if I could tell his story. I believe that he is a perfect example of how any of us can use our interests and talents to try to make the world a better place. By marrying his love of music with his interest in photography, Ian has raised money for the Blues Foundation HART (Handy Artists Relief Trust) Fund, the Gift of Music Foundation, 30 Days Foundation, and other charitable organizations.

“I wanted to do more.”

Ian was inspired to start this project while touring the Blues Foundation museum in 2018. He noticed a display of art for sale, the proceeds from which were going to support the HART Fund. Having recently taken his photography hobby to a new level by expanding into concert photography, he thought he might be able to sell his photographs to support the fund. As he explored the idea, he expanded on it, deciding that the artists he photographed should suggest where the proceeds from their photos would go.

“Music is vitally important to me,” Ian told me. “Good music gets to your soul. I can’t play an instrument at all; there’s nobody in this world who would want to hear me try. So it has been important to me to help out the musicians whose work means so much to me. I buy concert tickets, CDs, merchandise. But I wanted to do more. I wanted to really contribute with the talents that I already have, and I wanted that to have meaningful impact. Doing what I’ve been doing has been very rewarding.”

Ian launched iangibbsphoto.com to provide a place where people can view and order his concert photos. The charities that are supported are determined by the photos someone decides to order. If, for instance, I decide that I want a picture of the Danielle Nicole Band at Knuckleheads, a notice at the top of the page with photos from that concert will inform me that “a sizable portion of the proceeds” will go to support Michael Shannon Musician’s Fund.

In addition to selling photos to individuals, Ian sells some of his photos to the bands themselves… and then donates his profits to a charity of the band’s choice. Last year, with far fewer concerts to photograph, Ian uploaded photos from some of his travels around the world, attaching charitable donations to sales of those photos, too. Photos from his 2017 trip to Antarctica support the Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition.

“I wanted to see her perform just based on this photo.”

For Ian, the benefits of this project extend beyond the charities he’s supporting. An avid music fan, he finds that photos provide a way for him to spread the word about musicians and music that he loves. “If my work inspires folks to check out more musicians, I’m helping the music community,” he said. In fact, he has had someone comment on one of his Joyann Parker photos, saying, “I want to see her perform just based on this photo.” When he learns that someone has checked out a band or a musician because of his photographs, it makes his day.

“Getting the word out is a challenge.”

Ian’s biggest challenge has been promoting this project. When he posts new photos on his website, he announces it on his own Facebook page as well as other relevant Facebook pages, but he’s been struggling to promote his photos beyond those forums.

A lack of press credentials doesn’t help. Smaller acts welcome his presence, but many of the larger bands require photographers to work for a traditional media company. “There are bands I’d love to photograph whose fans would almost certainly buy prints,” but he needs their permission if he’s going to sell their photos, even for a charitable cause.

His luck may be changing. Having just donated a couple of photos to a charitable auction, he’s attracted attention that led to an interview on The Unofficial Tedeschi Trucks podcast. This sort of success may lead to more attention to his site and more sales of his photography, allowing him to donate more to the charities he’s been supporting.

“Enthusiasm is infectious.”

Ian told me that before I interviewed him, he reviewed my “Ordinary People Making a Difference” series and was particularly struck by Liz Fleming’s story, noting that she proved something that has been a driving force in his own project. “Your skills don’t have to match what you think they would to make a difference,” he said. “What you’re doing could make an impact on someone even if you aren’t trying to make a difference. The more you do what you love [in Ian’s case, taking photos of musicians he loves], the more enthusiastic you are. That enthusiasm is infectious.” So Ian’s enthusiasm goes far beyond raising money for charity as he attracts new listeners for the musicians he loves.

I have to say that what Ian said during this part of the interview opened my eyes to ways I might be making a difference without even realizing it. While Ian told me I’d influenced him because of my enthusiasm for fairly traded chocolate (he attended one of my anti-slavery chocolate parties), he made me realize that my blog could make a difference in ways that I’d never intended. My “something wonderful” posts have, in my mind, not been about making a difference… but perhaps they make some sort of a difference anyway. While I do cover out-of-print books and art by people who died long ago, I also rave about books, movies, and music by people who are alive and could use more fans. Perhaps I’ve made a difference for them just by writing about their work, especially if people who have read a book or watched something that I’ve recommended love it enough to tell others about it. (Ian mentioned this sort of spread of enthusiasm and likened it to a commercial from our youth.)

Ian’s advice to others? “When you find something that’s important to you, do what you can to use your own talents to support that thing, even if that thing wouldn’t seem to be directly related to your talents. We all need to support our communities. In the process, we may better ourselves.”

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Something Wonderful

The Good Things I’ll Carry With Me From the Pandemic, Part 2

Photo by Marta Dzedyshko from Pexels

Not too long ago, someone said to me, “I can’t wait for spring to arrive. I’ve never had such a boring winter in my life.”

On the one hand, I can relate. The pandemic has us stuck at home far more than we’re used to.

On the other hand, I think the last time I was bored was when I was on bedrest when I was pregnant. That’s when I discovered that having unlimited time to watch movies and read books is actually not much fun.

I’m aware that as an introvert, it’s been easier for me than for many extraverts to deal with the limitations imposed by the pandemic. But even I wish I could hang out with friends the way I used to. I also keenly miss some of the activities I enjoyed in the past, such as going to a local conservatory during the winter to soak in some warmth and greenery.

Like so many of us, I want my “normal” life back. But the pandemic has stretched me as I’ve worked to find new ways to relax and have fun. Here’s what I’ve learned about finding enjoyment when my options are limited.

It’s hard to overestimate the value of nature.

I think a lot of us have gained a little more appreciation for the outdoors. I walked with my mom–6 feet behind her–often last summer. My husband went kayaking with friends. Being outdoors allowed us to see people we love safely and helped us escape from being stuck within the same walls day in and down out. Although any outdoor space was fair game (a friend and I would set out chairs on grassy medians in parking lots so that we could eat ice cream and chat together), there was something particularly comforting about natural surroundings.

Even before 2020, I’d found that a walk in a local park was restoring at the end of a hard day, but now more than ever the pandemic has made it clear that parks and other green spaces are worth their weight in gold. Once we are able to gather safely indoors with friends and family, I hope that we also continue to find joy in being outdoors–together or alone.

Finding fun may require creativity.

Last summer I wrote about my “semication,” during which I worked half-days and then took imaginary vacations to other places through foods and activities. It didn’t substitute for really being at any of those places, but it made for a fun, refreshing week. I can’t claim that I don’t miss going to a movie with a friend, visiting the Minnesota State Fair with my mom, or attending local science fiction conventions, but at least I can find creative ways to imitate those experiences at home.

It can be a blessing to have a sizeable bucket list.

I cannot possibly get through my long “to read” and “to watch” lists before I die. On top of those lists, I have more lists of things I want to do and try. And while some of those things–like watching a curling match in person–cannot or should not be pursued during a pandemic, others, such as trying new recipes, are doable. Make long lists of things you want to read, watch, and do, and it will be very difficult to be bored.

There’s a lot to be said for “snail mail.”

I don’t think I’ve been this interested in the mail since I was waiting for college acceptance letters when I was a high school senior. As I mentioned in my last post, my days have been brightened by cards from friends. Assuming others might feel the same, I sent more cards in the past year than I have in a long time. I also purchased an issue of The Letter Exchange and sent letters off in response to several listings. Now I eagerly await any responses I get. Every day with something fun in the mail–a card, a real letter, a paycheck, the occasional package–is a day to celebrate.

Making the conscious effort to schedule small daily fun pays off.

In February, I was feeling particularly gloomy, as the pace of vaccinations at the time made it look like most of 2021 would not be that different from 2020. So I looked at my calendar for March and scheduled small, fun activities for every single day. I celebrated St. Patrick’s Day with Irish music and food. I tried a new dessert recipe. I created a playlist. I dressed up one day, even though I had nowhere to go. I used whatshouldireadnext.com to generate book suggestions based on something I enjoyed. I went from feeling bleak about the future to feeling excited about March, because I had something, however small, to look forward to every single day.

What has the pandemic taught you about how to relax and have fun, even when your options are limited?

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Make a Difference

The Good Things I’ll Carry With Me From the Pandemic, Part 1


Photo by Polina Kovaleva from Pexels

The pandemic isn’t over yet, but I think most of us are feeling hopeful that the end is in sight.

It would be wonderful if we all woke up tomorrow and discovered that COVID-19 was just a collective nightmare. Since that isn’t going to happen, perhaps we can look at what we have learned and how we can use that knowledge in our post-pandemic lives. While I think it is important to look at lessons learned on a large scale (early in the pandemic I reflected on some of these lessons in my post on what COVID-19 can teach us about making a difference), I want to focus this two-part post on the good things I can extract from this global tragedy on a personal level. This post will focus on what I learned, or what was reinforced for me, about making a difference. My next post will focus on the lessons I absorbed about finding things to enjoy during dark times.

Lesson #1: It’s important for me to stay home when I’m sick.

I mentioned this in a post about sick leave early in the pandemic. I’ve gone to work sick in the past, and now I see how serious the consequences can be. In early 2019, as a major work event approached, I came down with something that primarily consisted of a bad cough. I could have accomplished my work at home, but I chose to go into the office. I believed I’d be more effective there, and I wanted to demonstrate that I wasn’t slacking off.

The following week, one of my coworkers had the same cough I’d had. I apologized for coming in sick, and she graciously told me, “Oh, it’s going around. I could have gotten it anywhere.” While it’s true she didn’t necessarily get it from me, I certainly didn’t reduce her exposure by coming in sick.

Now that I’ve worked remotely for more than a year, it’s clear that I don’t need to be in an office to be effective. I also don’t need to prove anything by being bodily present. My productivity speaks for itself. I’ve promised myself after the pandemic I will no longer come into the office sick. I hope that for many of us this will be a cultural change on both an individual and organizational level.

Lesson #2: My choices really do affect others.

Ever feel insignificant, like nothing you do really matters? There’s nothing like a pandemic to show the ripple effect of individual actions. A wedding in Maine resulted in at least 178 COVID-19 cases, including seven deaths. When we make choices that take the welfare of others into consideration — such as wearing a mask or getting vaccinated — we really can make a difference.

Lesson #3: Driving less matters.

As I mentioned in my early-pandemic post, there was a significant decrease in carbon emissions last year due to the shutdowns. After the pandemic I will be driving more, but I hope I can keep in mind how driving impacts the environment. I want to drive less than I used to in “normal” times. Can I establish a habit of not driving at all one day a week? How else can I limit my driving compared to what I did in the past?

Lesson #4: Little things can make a big difference.

I’ve said this one almost word-for-word before, but I’m continually reminded of how we don’t need to do newsworthy things to make a difference. Sometimes a card from a friend has been enough to make my day.

Likewise, a recent encounter in a grocery store reminded me of the importance of choosing kindness. In this particular case, a bag of kale was on the floor. I saw it and maneuvered around it. I can’t explain why I didn’t pick it up. I’ve picked up fallen items in the past, but this time seeing something on the floor somehow didn’t sink into my brain as a task to take care of. It was simply an obstacle on my way to the produce.

A woman behind me asked me, “Excuse me, did you knock this over?” When I let said “no,” she replied, sounding very annoyed, “Well, you could have picked it up.”

She was right. I could have — and should have — picked it up. But I was hurt by the anger she directed at me. I responded with an offended “sorry,” followed up with a muttered, “But you could be kinder.” Then I remembered what I’d recently written about hitting the pandemic wall. While I didn’t like how she lashed out at me, I realized that maybe she was having a difficult day. Mentally excusing her helped me not carry my annoyance with me during the day, and it reminded me of how important it is to treat people with kindness.

What good things are you taking from this pandemic that you will use to make a difference?