Becoming a Parent During the Pandemic Was the Hardest Thing I’ve Ever Done

This completely different person I’ve become since I gave birth is someone virtually(ˈvərCH(o͞o)əlē) no one knows.

By Sophie Gilbert

In early March last year, I was heading home from a work happy hour on the subway when I realized that a woman was staring at my belly(ˈbelē). She looked at my waist(wāst), where my coat was belted(ˈbeltəd), and then at the floor, and then at my waist again, and then she very tentatively(ˈten(t)ədivlē) offered me her seat. I was four months pregnant(ˈpreɡnənt). (I’d also eaten a lot of fried(frīd) food at happy hour, in lieu(lo͞o) of drinking.) I felt pitifully(ˈpidēf(ə)lē) grateful to this woman at the time, and I ended up thinking about her a lot in the following months. She was really the only person—apart from my husband, my obstetrician(ˌäbstəˈtriSHən), some nurses, and my doormen—who ever saw me pregnant. My mother didn’t. My siblings(ˈsibliNG) didn’t. My best friends didn’t either, or my co-workers, or any other kindhearted strangers on the subway. After the second week of March, I stopped going anywhere apart from occasional doctor visits and walks around the city. In July, I gave birth to twins, and then I stopped going anywhere at all. “You take those babies home and you keep them there,” the head nurse at Weill(vīl, wīl) Cornell Medicine told me, and that is exactly what I did.

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https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2021/03/isolation-becoming-new-parent-during-pandemic/618244/

Three Practices(ˈpraktəs) to Celebrate Your Day

By Leo Babauta

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What would it be like if today were special?

I’m going to share a few simple practices that will elevate(ˈeləˌvāt) every day into something to celebrate.

Practice 1: Win the Day

Instead of starting the day with a list of tasks to get done … what if we identified 1-3 things that would make this day an absolute victory, if we were to do them?

So the practice is to start the day with a simple entry in your notebook or on a simple text document: what could I do to make this day a victory?

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I keep this list front and center, and refer(rəˈfər) back to it multiple times a day. It helps bring me back to what I want to accomplish.

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Practice 2: A Brief Review

At the end of each day, it can be powerful to take a brief pause and review how the day went. And celebrate anything you can!

Here’s what I like to review:

How did I do with my Win the Day list? Celebrate any progress at all.
How did I do with my practices for the day? Again, any practice at all is a cause for celebration.
Where did I see the divine(dəˈvīn) today ?

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This only has to take a few minutes. Set a reminder. I often will take a few more minutes to set my intentions/Win the Day items for tomorrow.

Practice 3: Ending Ritual(ˈriCH(o͞o)əl) for Tasks

We don’t have to wait for the end of the day to celebrate. We can do it after anything we do.

The practice is a simple ritual: pause when you’re done with something, before you move on to the next thing. And reflect. And celebrate.

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https://zenhabits.net/celebrate-day/

3 Ways the Pandemic Has Made the World Better

COVID-19 has inflicted(inˈflikt) devastating(ˈdevəˌstādiNG) losses. It has also delivered(dəˈlivər) certain blessings(ˈblesiNG).

By Zeynep Tufekci

This has been a year of terrible loss. People have lost loved ones to the pandemic. Many have gotten sick, and some are still suffering. Children have lost a year of school. Millions have lost a steady paycheck. Some have lost small businesses that they’d built for decades. Almost all of us have lost hugs and visits and travel and the joy of gathering together at a favorite restaurant and more.

And yet, this year has also taught us much. Strange as it may sound, the coronavirus pandemic has delivered blessings, and it does not diminish(dəˈminiSH) our ongoing suffering to acknowledge them. In fact, recognizing them increases the chance that our society may emerge(əˈmərj) from this ordeal(ôrˈdēl) more capable, more agile(ˈajəl), and more prepared for the future.

Here are three ways the world has changed for the better during this awful(ˈôfəl) year.

1. WE NOW KNOW HOW TO CODE FOR OUR VACCINES(vakˈsēn)
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2. WE ACTUALLY LEARNED HOW TO USE OUR DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURE(ˈinfrəˌstrək(t)SHər)
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3. WE’VE UNLEASHED(ˌənˈlēSH) THE TRUE SPIRIT(ˈspirit) OF PEER REVIEW AND OPEN SCIENCE

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https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2021/03/three-ways-pandemic-has-bettered-world/618320/

Review of “E.T. The Extra(ˈekstrə)-Terrestrial(təˈrestrēəl)”

By Roger Ebert

Dear Raven(ˈrāvən) and Emil(ə):

Sunday we sat on the big green couch and watched “E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial” together with your mommy and daddy. It was the first time either of you had seen it, although you knew a little of what to expect because we took the “E.T.” ride(rīd) together at the Universal tour(to͝or). I had seen the movie lots of times since it came out in 1982, so I kept one eye on the screen and the other on the two of you. I wanted to see how a boy on his fourth birthday, and a girl who had just turned 7 a week ago, would respond to the movie.

Well, it “worked” for both of you, as we say in Grandpa Roger’s business.

Raven, you never took your eyes off the screen–not even when it looked like E.T. was dying and you had to scoot(sko͞ot) over next to me because you were afraid(əˈfrād).

Emil, you had to go sit on your dad’s knee a couple of times, but you never stopped watching, either. No trips to the bathroom or looking for lost toys: You were watching that movie with all of your attention.

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https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-et-the-extra-terrestrial-1982

Exercise vs. Diet(Diet)? What Children of the Amazon(ˈaməˌzän) Can Teach Us About Weight Gain(ɡān)

What we eat may be more important than how much we move when it comes to fighting obesity(ōˈbēsədē).

When children gain excess(ikˈses, ˈekses) weight, the culprit(ˈkəlprət) is more likely to be eating too much than moving too little, according to a fascinating(ˈfasəˌnādiNG) new study of children in Ecuador(ˈekwəˌdôr). The study compared the lifestyles, diets and body compositions of Amazonian(ˌaməˈzōnēən) children who live in rural(ˈro͝orəl), foraging(ˈfôrij) communities with those of other Indigenous(inˈdijənəs) children living in nearby towns, and the results have implications for the rising rates of obesity in both children and adults worldwide.

The in-depth study found that the rural children, who run, play and forage(ˈfôrij) for hours, are leaner(lēn) and more active than their urban counterparts(ˈkoun(t)ərˌpärt). But they do not burn more calories(ˈkal(ə)rē) day-to-day, a surprising finding that implicates the urban children’s modernized(ˈmädərˌnīz) diets in their weight gain. The findings also raise(rāz) provocative(prəˈväkədiv) questions about the interplay(ˈin(t)ərˌplā) of physical activity and metabolism(məˈtabəˌlizəm) and why exercise helps so little with weight loss, not only in children but the rest of us, too.

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https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/24/well/move/weight-gain-amazon.html

Words Are Actions

By Steve Pavlina

Some people claim that actions matter and words alone(əˈlōn) don’t count for much.

That philosophy may be popular, but it isn’t based in truth.

Words matter tremendously(trəˈmendəslē). Words are actions, and they absolutely do count – at least as much as any other form of action does.

Words influence people. Words create impact, even when you’re not trying to be impactful. Words create ripples(ˈripəl). And words incur(inˈkər) responsibility.

With words alone you can change the course of someone’s life. You can affect someone well beyond (or contrary to) your intent.

The law recognizes this too. You can go to jail(jāl) just for your words if you choose the wrong ones, including in countries that profess(prəˈfes) to have great freedom of speech. And you can most assuredly(əˈSHo͝or(ə)dlē) be sued(so͞o) for your words.

Intent may be considered, but the bigger issue is impact. With your words you could contribute to damaging someone’s health, ending a job or a relationship, or even ending a life.

You could also inspire someone to make a major positive change in their life. You could reduce someone’s stress. You could help form a healthy and positive relationship.

You can have these effects with words alone.

How many transitions(tranˈziSH(ə)n) would never have occurred if certain words had never been voiced?

How many regrets trace back to words alone, whether spoken or unspoken?

You don’t need a large platform or audience to have impact with your words. A small number of words communicated to one person can be unexpectedly(ˌənəkˈspektədlē) life-changing.

I guarantee you that your words have already affected people – and will continue to affect them – in powerful ways you don’t see at all.

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https://stevepavlina.com/blog/2020/08/words-are-actions/

Beeple sold an NFT for $69 million

Through a first-of-its-kind auction(ˈôkSH(ə)n) at Christie’s(ˈkristē)

By Jacob Kastrenakes

Until October, the most Mike(mīk) Winkelmann — the digital artist known as Beeple — had ever sold a print for was $100.

Today, an NFT of his work sold for $69 million at Christie’s. The sale positions him “among the top three most valuable living artists,” according to the auction house.

The record-smashing(smaSH) NFT sale comes after months of increasingly valuable auctions. In October, Winkelmann sold his first series(ˈsirēz) of NFTs, with a pair going for $66,666.66 each. In December, he sold a series of works for $3.5 million total. And last month, one of the NFTs that originally sold for $66,666.66 was resold for $6.6 million.

NFTs, or non-fungible(ˈfənjəbəl) tokens, are unique files that live on a blockchain and are able to verify ownership of a work of digital art. Buyers typically get limited rights to display the digital artwork they represent(ˌreprəˈzent), but in many ways, they’re just buying bragging(ˈbraɡiNG) rights and an asset(ˈaset) they may be able to resell later. The technology has absolutely exploded(ikˈsplōdəd) over the past few weeks — and Winkelmann, more than anyone else, has been at the forefront(ˈfôrˌfrənt) of its rapid(ˈrapəd) rise(rīz).

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https://www.theverge.com/2021/3/11/22325054/beeple-christies-nft-sale-cost-everydays-69-million

Dear Joe, Happy Birthday!

By 王渊源John

Dear Joe(jō),

Happy Birthday! You are six years old today. It’s hard to believe that it’s already been six years since we welcomed you into our life. You have brought your mother and me more joy than you can ever imagine.

Over the past year you have grown up so much. You know more and more English words and Chinese characters, and you are able to use numbers in fun and exciting ways. You’ve also taught your brother so much, and even made videos to teach kids online.

The past year has been a challenging one for the world, and for our family. Along with the challenges, though, we were able to spend lots of time at home with you and Alex, and we will be grateful for the rest of our lives for that extra time together. You listened to stories, played games, and ran back and forth on the couch(kouCH) thousands of times.

Turning six means that you’ll be starting first grade(ɡrād) this fall, and we’re excited for your new adventures. My hope for you is that you’ll treasure(ˈtreZHər) and enjoy your last few months at preschool with your friends and teachers, and that you will welcome the new adventures and challenges that moving to a new school will bring. Your mother and I are always here to support you on the way.

Thanks for sharing your smile, love and imagination with us, Joe.

Your mom and I love you so much.

Love,
Dad

What’s the difference between like, love, and in-love?

By Derek Sivers

What’s the difference between like, love, and in-love?

How do you know when you love someone instead of just liking them a lot?

How do you know when you’re “in-love” with someone instead of just loving them as a person?

I asked a bunch of friends these questions, and got a huge variety(vəˈrīədē) of answers:

“If I like anything about someone, I like them. If I like everything about someone, I love them. If I like everything about someone and we have great sex, I’m in love.”
“Like is liking someone, but conditionally. Love is liking someone unconditionally. In-love is just glorification(ˌɡlôrəfəˈkāSH(ə)n) of a temporary infatuation(inˌfaCHəˈwāSH(ə)n). Eventually it becomes love.”
“This sounds morbid(ˈmôrbəd), but I think of it in terms of how I’d react if they died. If I like someone and they died, I’d be sad and cry once or twice. If I love someone and they died, I’d be devastated(ˈdevəˌstāt) and cry for days or weeks. If I’m in love with someone and they died, I’d want to die too.”

How do you know?

Do other languages have different terms for “love” versus “in love” that make it more poetically(pōˈediklē) distinct?

https://sive.rs/inlove

Two Strings to Our Bow(bō)

excerpted(ˈekˌsərpt) from Warren Buffett’s 2020 letter(ˈledər) to Berkshire(ˈbərkSHər) Hathaway shareholders

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Charlie(ˈCHärlē) and I want our conglomerate(kənˈɡlämərət) to own all or part of a diverse(dəˈvərs) group of businesses with good economic(ˌekəˈnämik) characteristics and good managers. Whether Berkshire controls these businesses, however, is unimportant to us.

It took me a while to wise(wīz) up. But Charlie – and also my 20-year struggle with the textile(ˈtekˌstīl) operation I inherited(inˈherədəd) at Berkshire – finally convinced me that owning a non-controlling portion(ˈpôrSH(ə)n) of a wonderful business is more profitable(ˈpräfədəb(ə)l), more enjoyable and far less work than struggling with 100% of a marginal(ˈmärjənl) enterprise(ˈen(t)ərˌprīz).

For those reasons, our conglomerate will remain(rəˈmān) a collection of controlled and non-controlled businesses. Charlie and I will simply deploy your capital into whatever we believe makes the most sense, based on a company’s durable(ˈd(y)o͝orəb(ə)l) competitive(kəmˈpedədiv) strengths, the capabilities and character of its management, and price.

If that strategy requires little or no effort on our part, so much the better. In contrast to the scoring(skôr) system utilized(ˈyo͞odlˌīz) in diving competitions, you are awarded(əˈwôrd) no points in business endeavors(ənˈdevər) for “degree of difficulty.” Furthermore, as Ronald Reagan(ˈrāɡən) cautioned(ˈkôSH(ə)n): “It’s said that hard work never killed anyone, but I say why take the chance?”

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https://www.berkshirehathaway.com/letters/2020ltr.pdf