A Little Better

Here's a great song with a great message sung by Maggie Rose, who kills the vocals in this live acoustic track:

The world wasn't broken in a day

And it ain't gotta stay this way forever.

But you ain't gotta change the whole damn thing, 

You just gotta leave it a little better.

Read Rolling Stone's interview with Maggie Rose from 2018.

"Rose wrote the bulk of 'Change the Whole Thing' firmly entrenched in the divisive current political atmosphere. She's seen a lot of rage, but, more disturbingly, she's seen apathy -- people upset with the world around them, but unwilling or lacking the conviction to chisel away at making a difference. Tweeting displeasure, but doing nothing. 'Apathy is my biggest pet peeve,' Rose says. 'Apathy is the enemy of artistry.'"

T-shirt on Etsy

So Much Winter

It’s mid-February and my cabin fever has spiked, predictably. Minnesota winters are cold and snowy and icy and last a long time. And it’s about this time of year, every year, I check in with my dad and sister to confirm who lives here only because the rest of us live here.

So what does one do for the many months of winter, besides complain about it? There are thousands of articles, blogs, podcasts, talk show segments, and pep talks from friends and spouses with encouraging ideas about how to “embrace” winter. I should try harder to be less crabby.

I think it really comes down to this: my love for summer is far greater than my distaste for winter. I love Christmas, first snowfalls, warm beverages, occasional downhill skiing. But I love, LOVE fresh warm air, sitting on the deck, icy drinks, flip-flops, extra daylight hours, green growing things everywhere...

If you are a winter lover, please know I mean no disrespect. I don’t fully understand you, but I respect your opinion. And I will try to get a better attitude about this incredibly long season, at least until my moving truck arrives <wink>.

Here are some winter/snow loving folks doing creative things:

This artist walks in the snow all day to create beautiful designs.

Snow art

Here’s what people in the happiest cold-weather countries do. This article points out, “If you look closely at the World Happiness Report for 2019, you’ll notice the top 10 is peppered with cold-weather countries that deal with even lower temperatures and longer periods of darkness than most parts of the U.S.” Mkay!

Five jobs for people who love winter. (Only five?!)

This man might love tropical summer more than me.

Read about "Arctic diamond" ice used for the most impressive ice sculptures in the world.

"Arctic diamond" ice blocks

Sweatshirt on Etsy

Tory Burch sandals

Must Listen

Here's my latest earworm... Loving Her by Katie Pruitt. I cannot stop listening to this performance.

But if loving her is wrong
And it's not right to write this song
Then I'm still not gonna stop
And you can turn the damn thing off.


Here's why some songs get stuck in your head.

Rainbow Hearts Print

Grace Farris illustration

Meri Meri Rainbow Girls Belt

Compassionate Leadership

I'm struggling to wrap my head around so many difficult news headlines this morning... State of the Union, ripped up State of the Union, Medal of Freedom, impeachment vote, Iowa... whew, it's all just heavy.

After my daily morning dive into news, I googled "kindness and leadership," looking for some anonymous assurances, I suppose. I found this article and it sparked some optimism on this weird day.

"Compassionate leaders acknowledge our universal interconnectedness and use their influence to make a positive impact on others and the planet. These leaders are courageous, contemplative, collaborative and care about the world they will leave behind."  Good start, Laurel Donnelan. I'm in.

Donnelan goes on to describe twelve lessons from business leaders that reflect compassion. You really should read each profile; they will improve your mood. Here's the list of lessons:

1. If you are lucky enough to amass wealth, consider giving much of it away and do some good while you are still alive. (Chuck Feeney)
2. The decisions you make as a business leader can accelerate sustainability for people and the planet. (Eileen Fisher)
3. Organic farming is good for all of us and our planet. (Woody Tasch)
4. Leaders of the future will drive purpose and meaning at work. (Karlin Sloan)
5. Find your buzz. (John and Molly Chester)
6. The first step to compassion is self-compassion. (Uvinie Lubecki)
7. Compassion is a strategic advantage. (Scott Shute)
8. Teach compassion to future leaders by creating meaningful experiences that foster empathy. (David Corsun and Cheri Young)
9. Make work fun. (Alix Kram)
10. Losing everything can help you focus and make better business decisions. (Kathleen King)
11. Compassion is the heart's response to suffering. (Kristina Workman)
12. Try to be of benefit to others and everything else will fall into place. (Larry Carlson)

It's easy to get discouraged and shut it all off, and I think we do need to shut off the television and social media sometimes. But it's critically important to engage and show up and work to amplify the things that make us better people. I don't think it's Pollyanna to look for the good when there's a lot of bad. In fact, I think it's most people's natural instinct to want to help others and lift each other up. 

Print by Rachel Brown

And a few random fun things:

Get up to speed on some wild beauty trends for 2020. And here's why everyone is obsessed with nails by Mei Kawajiri.

Seems like a good time for a reminder about French style rules.

Unzipped Glass Zipper Bag