The truth is, I think, […] for me inspiration comes from a bunch of places. (Counting on his fingers …) Desperation, deadlines … A lot of times, ideas will turn up while you are doing something else. And most of all, I think, ideas come from confluence. They come from two things flowing together, they come, essentially from day-dreaming. It’s … it’s something I suspect that’s something that every human being does. ...
August Ultralearning, Scott H Young (must read. if you are looking to tackle something foundationally important, this book gives you one solid approach. it’s mostly common sense. but common sense that is laid out in a really logical manner. i learnt to plan my project, that hard learning is normal, that failure is normal, and that persistence is a prerequisite. all critical things, since learning no longer “comes naturally” to me.) ...
Peter Kaufman, editor of Poor Charlie’s Almanack, on why is it important to be a multidisciplinary thinker. Because as the Japanese proverb says, ‘The frog in the well, knows nothing of the mighty ocean.’ You may know everything there is to know about your specialty, your silo, your “well”, but how are you going to make any good decisions in life … the complex systems of life, the dynamic system of life … if all you know, is one well? ...
Ubi enim est thesaurus tuus, ibi est et cor tuum. For where thy treasure is, there is thy heart also. You’ve stood by me through thick and thin. We’ve been through houses and hospitals and travails and travels around the world. We finish each other’s thoughts and sentences, (much to Poo’s chagrin,) I don’t know what I’d do without you. To quote a silly old country song, When my life is through, And the Angels ask me to recall The thrill of it all, then I will tell them I remember you … ...
Now you understand Just why my head’s not bowed. I don’t shout or jump about Or have to talk real loud. When you see me passing, It ought to make you proud. I say, It’s in the click of my heels, The bend of my hair, the palm of my hand, The need for my care. ’Cause I’m a woman Phenomenally. Phenomenal woman, That’s me. ...
My dad was a carpenter. Well everyone called him that, but I know him for what he truly was. A craftsman. Be it his work with wood, or the little works of art and craft he made for us or his drawings in my book; everything he did, was slow, and measured, and full of deliberation and intention. Which is why this episode struck such a chord with me. Jocelyn articulates beautifully, exactly what my father did. I still remember his slight rankle, followed by this expression of sorrow, whenever I would rush him, tell him this much was good enough. Thank God, he never listened to me. He may not be here now, but everything he built, makes it like he is. ...