Sending Cards by Mail

I had the lovely experience of receiving a card in the mail this week.  It was most humorous and produced a huge smile. I was so tickled to receive it that I had to post it on FB.  This was a card to let me know how appreciated I am.  There weren’t a lot of words inside but every one told me that the person who sent it loves me bunches.  And that means the world to me.

I send a lot of cards myself and I’m usually much wordier.  [Imagine that!]  Sometimes I write all around the inside sentiment in order to send as much info as I can and I was struck by the huge impact of the simple few sentences that I got in this card.  It’s true that notion that a lot can be expressed with a few words.  Though I don’t know that I can much change the way I’ve always been.  I’m just a wordy woman.

I occasionally send the thinking-of-you card but more often, it’s a thank you that I send.  Momma trained me well as she always encouraged my brother and me to send thank you cards when we were kids.  I am convinced these days that it is one of the most important reasons for my success.

I always sent thank you notes after interviews.  Even when I knew I didn’t want the job.  I believe that this simple act, this quickly completed task, did more for cementing my relationships with people than the actual interview experiences.

It’s a different world we live in today… one of electronic communication, Facebook and email.  All these are great for keeping in touch day in and day out and I love being able to see and hear about what friends and family are doing all the time.  And, as I commented to my husband just today, “When Aunt Inez sends you a comment on Facebook, it’s like you can hear it in HER voice!”  It makes me feel like getting a little hug from her every time!

But I do believe that paper cards, sent in the snail mail, help you stick out in the crowd.  I wouldn’t doubt that a thank you card could very well have been the deciding factor in whether I got hired in more than one case.

Though I will probably never really know the impact of most of those cards I sent, occasionally I do get feedback.  We have an International Dinner group that we joined recently and, after the first one, I sent out a couple cards of thanks.  At the most recent event, I was told by one recipient that it was a Very Nice Card.  And you’d be surprised how many people send a thank you card back for a thank you card you send!

I very much enjoyed spending some time with my good friend, Momma Chris, this week.  She is a Card Sending Maniac!  And the wonderful thing about her cards is that they are all hand made.  When Fran and I arrived for our visit, it wasn’t long until we were looking at all her recent creations.  Of course, we had lots of questions.  “How did you do that?  Is that a stamp?  Was this done with alcohol inks?”  Chris, of course, had other examples to show us and when she went back to her Card Studio, I told Fran we should just follow along.  Within minutes, she was running us through a tutorial using blue painter’s tape, ink pads and paper.  It was so outside the concepts I envisioned.  She is a master of so many ways of making beautiful cards.

And where do all these cards go?  They go to everyone.  People she hears about with illness, those who she just misses (lucky me!), friends of friends, people in her church. I don’t know how many she sends out every week but she has people on rotation to help them get through whatever they are going through.  She told us a story of recently meeting a husband of a woman to whom she’d been sending cards and he was so delighted to meet her because she’s brought such joy to the woman.

I think what Chris gets out of the deal is an ability to never age.  She’s closing in on her mid 80’s but she looks as young as I’ve ever seen her on this visit and I’ve known her for almost 10 years.  I recall Carl Kasell once telling me, “If you want to do what you’ve always done, you have to keep doing what you’ve always done.” (Or something along those lines.)  He is another seemingly ageless gem of a person.  And I believe this spirit of giving demonstrated by both Carl and Chris just goes to show that Karma is a real thing.

A while back I made a book of a bunch of cards… some I sent, some I’ve received, photos and stories about these cards.  I am so grateful my mom gave me this wonderful habit.  I believe it’s just about the simplest and sweetest way to send a little love.  And who doesn’t need a little love?  I think I’ll send a few cards out soon.

Walking for the Water

It’s been a week of Water Protecting here at the Harn.

Dan & I spent Tuesday in Rice Lake for the first of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) Public Hearing and Comment meetings.  It was a well-attended event and I was there on my first assignment as a Reporter for the Farmers Independent, our local newspaper in Bagley.  Since I was on assignment, I didn’t feel I could stand up and comment.  So I also attended the Park Rapids DEIS meeting the following day where I did get an opportunity to stand up and speak.

The Rice Lake event was on Reservation Lands and I was impressed with the focus on having a pipe and drum ceremony to begin the event.  They also asked for first, any Elders to speak and then, any Tribal Representatives.  While none chose to speak at that time, it showed thoughtful consideration of the meeting location and showed respect for the Indigenous People.

Of the 15 commenters, only one, Neal Illies – County Commissioner for District 3, spoke firmly in support of the pipeline.  One other spoke of the fact that we need pipelines but also spoke to the risks.  As a homeowner with 4 pipelines on his property, Dennis Riggs noted in his testimony that Line 3 needs to be shut down.  The remaining 13 speakers were all in strong opposition to the pipeline being run through the proposed area.  There is too much risk and not enough reward for this to be in Minnesota’s best interest.    All agreed that water is more important to life than oil.

There was special concern regarding the possibility of endangering the 1855 Treaty rights of Indigenous people. It is interesting to look at Enbridge’s proposed route.  You will notice that the routes do not cross tribal lands.  It seems the oil boys thought that, as long as they remained off the Native Lands, they would not be able to be opposed by Indigenous groups.  However, the Treaty Rights ensure that Natives have rights to clean water for their fishing, hunting, gathering, and ricing throughout the treaty area.  And Enbridge’s pipeline would run through Treaty Territory.  This would require that Enbridge not only consult with the Tribes but also that they give them an equal seat at the table.  This did not occur.

When you look at the DEIS, it seems written to make Enbridge look attractive.  It’s insulting and disgusting to see the lack of concern for the added stress this puts on Indigenous people, for the risk to generations to come, and for much of any consideration to be given to the many flora and fauna that could be affected.  One of the most disturbing things to me as I read in the portion regarding pipeline abandonment, was that Enbridge seemed more concerned with affecting infrastructure and closing roads and thus, this was reason for NOT removing the pipeline that they would instead abandon.

And the prioritization of Enbridge of infrastructure over people and animals was in the sections on Environmental Justice which noted:

“Specifically, the company considered an alternate route of the pipeline going down Interstate 94 as too dangerous because of the possibility of pipe failure and crude oil flooding the highway, causing accidents and it’s routing through populated areas.” Line 3 DEIS, Environmental Justice section

Well I say, “What about the populations where they DO plan to run the pipeline?  How are these populations acceptable to risk?”  Dan and I have had many beautiful messages from our birds and other wildlife in the last week.  On the drive home from the Rice Lake DEIS, we happened upon a male and female Sandhill Crane crossing County 2.  We stopped to let them pass and, once they had crossed, we started to advance.  But the female ran back across the road and the male advanced on our car with head tucked and wings spread wide, making himself look as threatening as he could.  He charged toward us and we noticed popping up on the original side of the road, a small baby Sandhill.  Momma escorted him across the street while Poppa kept a close eye on us.  Even after they were crossed and in the ditch, he watched us and kept up a threatening stance.  This was a reminder of the many migratory birds that are born in this area where they want to run this Tar Sands pipeline.

More recently, we’ve also seen a duck with about 8-10 ducklings and a doe with a tiny fawn crossing.  And then, a most rare sight.  A Red Fox with her pup.  It’s almost as if Nature is saying, “Thank you.  Please keep speaking for us.”

At the Rice Lake meeting Sierra Club Executive Member, Marty Cobenais, shared that Enbridge said in 2008 they “needed the Alberta Clipper” but nine months before it was built, the oil industry asked Enbridge not to build the line as it wasn’t needed.  Then Enbridge told us the Sandpiper pipeline was “needed” but Sandpiper was abandoned last year for the Dakota Access pipeline in neighboring North Dakota.  He asked, “Do they really need this project?”

Some referred to more sustainable Hemp Oil, recently given agricultural approval by the State of Minnesota, which would be a safer alternative to the Tar Sands Enbridge wants to transport across the waters and wetlands of our state.  One mentioned that Hemp could be grown in the buffer zones to help clean the runoff from the fields, making it a two-fold solution.

The elders were given an opportunity to speak first but ended up being the last speakers of the day.  Lawrence “Sam” Crowell said, “Enbridge already has the pipe staged in Lake George,” and he believes that these 22 meetings are meaningless as a decision has already been made by the state. He asks the state of Minnesota to “prove him wrong”.  Irene Auginaush told the story of how her ancestors had to keep watch over Rice Lake with shotguns to prevent farmers from pulling planks to take the water from the rice.  She said, “They fought to save our rice on Rice Lake and we are going to fight to save our rice again just like our ancestors did.  Miigwech.”

The Park Rapids meeting had a much higher attendance with a largely older and white population that filled the cafetorium of Park Rapids High School.  Again, the comments were by a large majority Anti-Pipeline.  Only a handful of the many speakers were in favor of the pipeline and several of them spoke about the importance of having the oil available for the next 50-100 years.  Are these people aware that fossil fuels are a finite resource and that we’ve almost exhausted the available sources?  There isn’t another 50 years of oil available, forget about 100!  It seems when listening to these people that I can hear the slurping of the straw sucking up the last bits and, instead of finding a new source of energy, some seem to want to keep sucking the straw in futility.

The week wrapped up with a wonderful Water Walk in Bemidji from Sanford Center to Diamond Point Park.  The Walk was led by Annie Humphrey and included the beautiful Daughter Water Walker puppet that towered over the rest of the group.  I was honored to hold one of her hands as the walk began.  It was a small but vocal group and we had lots of honks of support and cheers from passersby, several of whom decided to join us in our walk.

It gives me hope to see fellow Water Protectors walking for the Water.  I know not all of us have the time, inclination, or information on how to get involved with work like this.  But I truly believe all of us know the value of water.  It is disheartening for me to see some who seem to hold money as more important than clean water.  It may be that it is only when they must face a life without drinkable water that they will finally wake up and realize you can’t drink money.

 

 

Dan Retires… Harn Life Officially Begins

This week marks the beginning of the Harn Homestead development with both Dan and me on-site full-time at the property.  It’s been a bit longer than originally planned and we’re a LOT further north than we thought we’d be (original plan was for Arizona but the water wars were already starting there in 2003), but we are finally here and ready to try this simpler life.  We are both happy to be free from the Rat Race but a bit nervous about the minimization of income this year.  I’ve been here at the Harn for over 4 months and have some notion of how, when you’re always at the Harn, it’s harder to spend money.  But we also see how much pricier groceries are up here in the Hinterlands and we know some of the gardens and other capital projects will require an influx of cash.

One of the things that has been on my mind is how much of a help Mom and Tom have been to us in this venture.  It’s really impossible to pay back their gift of hospitality and I’m probably most grateful to Tom for putting up with us MUCH longer than he was originally expecting…  More than we were too.  It seemed to us, once we got to Minnesota, we’d be so close to the property compared to Indiana that our progress would prepare the Harn in about a year.  But with taking on so many activities in Alex and me also starting a job, we were hindered in putting in as much time as was needed to get everything done.  In the end it took us 29 months, instead of the hoped for 19 which would have gotten us to the Harn by May 2016 when Tommy graduated from Purdue.  But we also got to meet lots more friends in Alex, take time for a big trip to Tom’s graduation with Mom & Tom, make a big MN-IN-MO-CO-MN road trip to get Tom’s stuff moved to his new job near Denver, and enjoy a lot more local music with Mom and Tom.

We could have lived in an apartment in town and not paid rent for our son in Indiana and been about the same off financially.  However, we didn’t want to create a situation where Tommy incurred the debts that we both had to pay when we were going to school. He was working throughout college and was able to support some of his own needs but rent is a big hitter for most college students.  I remember my co-op job being the only way I could afford to pay for housing and school in the last half of college and I was making darn good money at the GE co-op gig!  I still had a student loan for my senior year ending with $4000 in debt.  Dan had it much deeper than me with about 10X the loan buildup but he spent a lot longer getting his degree and used loans for living expenses for quite some time.

It’s harder growing up now.  Some time back, the presenter at the Senior College opener at ATCC mentioned how his kids were unable to make much headway with savings even though they had lucrative careers – they were putting so much into paying off debt.  We believe we gave Tom a leg up on life by giving him a debt-free start to adulthood after college. He even has a small nest egg of a 529 and his own savings that remain ready to support him when he needs them. This is in large part thanks to grandparents Fran and Ed who paid for part of his schooling and Mom and Tom for supporting his schooling and housing us, so we could support him by paying his rent.  I think that part of the joy for Mom and Tom in helping us was because they knew it also helped their grandson.

And I am so happy that circumstances resulted in Dan and I spending our time with Mom & Tom.  I am glad to have gotten to know my mother better and to have become so close with Tom.  He is a joy.  People in town often came up asking if I was “Tom Obert’s daughter” and it tickled me to no end.  A sweet lady at the book store, a friend of Tom’s from Jefferson High, once told me she could “see my dad in me”.  I loved her for it but had to explain to her that wasn’t really possible… that Tom was not my biological dad, just my favorite dad.  She said it must be the smile.  We are both quite smiley!

And perhaps it’s a good thing I have him as it seems my biological father has decided I am no longer his daughter.  [My brother Rob seems to now be caring for him to an extent with our step-mom having passed last year.]   I guess the Universe has ways of taking care of us that we don’t always comprehend.  And this may likely be a blessing for us all as I’m sure it will be Dan and I who will care for Mom & Tom as they age with us being the closest kids. Perhaps one day they will be living on our land in a cabin of their own.  You never know what life will bring.

But it sure is wonderful having Dan here.  He says it’s not going to hit him until he doesn’t have to pack up the car after the weekend and head back to Alex.  It’s already hitting me as we try to find locations for the last of the stuff moved up from Mom’s.  Thankfully, it’s getting organized to a point where it’s not super cluttered even with the additional influx.  We will keep downsizing and figuring out where things work best, now with both of us using the space.  And we’ll figure out how to live together again after another hiatus.  Lucky is happy to have another warm lap to confiscate.

We did celebrate by toasting with shots of Jim Beam from a small bottle received from the Broker who laughed at our plan to leave the Rat Race.  We’d gone in to have our taxes done with the guy who handled all my investments.  [I’m pretty sure he was aware we were in recovery and didn’t drink so I kind of felt like he was pushing us away with that token gift.]  I think we were small potatoes to him as many of his clients were multi-millionaires. Well, after being laughed at for our dream, I met a Broker on a plane in New York who seemed to have no problem with our plans.  In fact, she thought she could help us make it happen.  And by gosh, she’s had our money ever since and done pretty well by us.  If you’d like some investment help, she’s a real gem.  http://www.nuccifinancial.com/

Here’s our video of the toast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncF9Zbgp9B0

Reading Goal for 2017 On Track

Tags

books

So I set a goal to read 144 books this year.  At first this seemed reasonable.  I mean, I’ve got all this time at the Harn on my own.  That’s only 12 books a month and I can include some kids books to pump up my numbers, right?  Well, I’m also reading some pretty hefty tomes – think textbook level reading – on Permaculture, Forest Gardening, and the like.  Those kid books are REALLY gonna come in handy!

I started thinking that, in the summer there’s more work to be done outside… so I need to focus on getting ahead of the goal in winter, right?  I figured I needed a few extras in January & February.  So how am I doing?

Books read in January:

1. The Book that Matters Most by Ann Hood  – Good but a bit predictable
2. The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly – Fun Juvie read.  Looking forward to reading the second book now.
3. The One-Straw Revolution by Masanobu Fukuoka – Excellent.  A Master of Growing.
4. Re-Creative: 50 Projects for Turning Found Items into Contemporary Design by Steve Dodds – Lots of cute ideas for when I get a break from reading.
5. The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton – Sweet and timely.
6. Ira Sleeps Over by Bernard Waber – Good encouragement for kids to have confidence and see that we’re all a little vulnerable.
7. I Miss You: A First Look at Death by Pat Thomas – Well done.
8. Rising Strong by Brene Brown – Must read.  Again, I’m a huge Brene Brown fan.
9. The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley – Lots of science here and it was a good story – though I felt a bit overwhelmed at times with the details.  Glad to check one off the Authors to Read list.  Still need to get to Still Life…
10. Zero-Waste Home by Bea Johnson – Wonderful, challenging book.  Everyone should read this as we all generate too much waste and can do with some culling back on our consumerism.
11. Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys – Again, love this author.  Terrific story though a tough subject.
12. Two if By Sea by Jaqueline Mitchard – Good story – sucks you in.  Goes in a lot of directions and enjoyable but don’t know if I’ll read another by her.
13. Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson – SUPER FUNNY about Hard Stories.  She is really vulnerable in here and I am sure this book will make you feel a little happier and less crazy, no matter how crazy and sad some of us sometimes feel.  Bought it for a friend – it’s in paperback!
14. Time, Love, and Memory: A Great Biologist and His Quest for the Origins of Behavior by Jonathan Weiner (Heavy Science)  – NFBC Read – Good look at genetics and really shows how geeky scientists are human too.
15. Lucia and the Light by Phyllis Root – Lovely folk tale type read.

Good – 3 ahead! Those 4 kid books really helped!

Books read in February:

1. Edible Forest Gardens Volume 1 by Dave Jacke (Textbook!) – Excellent read with loads of details and technical stuff but also some really good case studies.  This is the theory volume.
2. Sacred Balance by David Suzuki (Heavy Science) – Great overview of lots of science and how us humans are intimately connected to the earth, our planet, our home.  Wonderful closing stories of people making real differences.
3. Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead – Great look at slavery and some of the BS that was involved.  But there are beautiful heroes too.
4. Taking Flight by Kelly Rae Roberts – Inspiring book about how each of us can bring the artist inside to life.  Really terrific demos on How-To make art like hers. You can read the first chapter on her website – it might suck you in like it did me… http://www.kellyraeroberts.com/
5. Locally Laid: We Built a Plucky, Industry-Changing Egg Farm – From Scratch by Lucie B. Amundsen  – Excellent book on the trials of taking on a huge challenge and winning.  Tons of funny stories about her and her husband.  You gotta check this one out – plus it’s by a Minnesota Author!  https://www.facebook.com/locallylaid/
6. Animal Farm by George Orwell – Classic.  This was a timely read.
7. The Iron Heel by Jack London – You may remember this from last week’s blog.
8. Little Goblins Ten by Pamela Jane – Beautfully illustrated and a fun Halloween tale.
9. Gracie and Grandma and the Itsy, Bitsy Seed by Iben Sandemose – Cute.
10. Farming the Woods: An Integrated Permaculture Approach to Growing Food and Medicinals in Temperate Forests by Ken Mudge and Steve Gabriel (Textbook!) – Way more data-oriented and mushroom-focused than I’d like.  But it did have good photos of a guy I LOVE on YouTube.  https://www.youtube.com/user/EdibleAcres
11. The Little Book of Hygge by Meik Wiking – A fun look at Danish Happiness with complete details on how you can join in the fun.

Man, one short!  Even with 2 kid books.

I am currently reading:

1. Early Retirement Extreme: A philosophical and practical guide to financial independence by Jacob Lund Fisker (done!) – Loved this book (Oh, you can also read his first chapter for free at his site too!) and am now enjoying the forums at his blog… http://forum.earlyretirementextreme.com/index.php?sid=27dc4fee105c5df4d0c2aa72882f1d4b  You should check out his page if you want to quite being a wage slave. http://earlyretirementextreme.com/ Which will lead you to this –  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrence_Kohlberg%27s_stages_of_moral_development – very interesting to consider as we look at the 45 Administration.
2. The 100 Thing Challenge by Dave Bruno – Again, this guy is very vulnerable but also confident about justifying the criticism he gets. I like the concept,  lessons learned, and it’s just short of preachy.
3. Living with Less so your family has more by Jill Savage – just couldn’t so this – way too churchy for me. A little obvious with many of the lessons.  I skimmed through the whole thing but couldn’t read it word for word – just to much scripture.
4. Sepp Holzer’s Permaculture: A Practical Guide to Small-Scale Farming and Gardening* – LOVE Sepp Holzer.  He is a genius and I’m about halfway through this one.  Lots of great info, though some re-reading is required, possibly due to translation.
5. Gaia’s Garden by Toby Hemenway*
6. Edible Forest Gardens: Volume 2 by Dave Jacke (Textbook – even thicker than Volume 1!)
7. Calm Surrender by Kent Nerburn*
8. Wilderness Tips by Margaret Atwood*
9. All the Single Ladies by Rebecca Traister – for NFBC

• Some of these have been in the works for a while…  I’ll eventually finish them!

So, only being a couple days into the month, I’m doing OK for March.  But I’m gonna have to step up my game or start reading lots of Pre-K books to make the goal!!

A Life of Simplicity?

Tags

conservation, Finding Fulfillment, Freedom, How to Retire Early, living local, simplicity, sustainability

I am at the Harn for a week of solitude.  Dan is heading back to work after our weekend of major projects and I’m staying until he returns next weekend.  It should be an interesting experience and a chance for me to get a taste of what Harn Life will be.  As we make progress on final systems for our place and draw closer to being at the Harn full-time, some are asking what this will mean.  And I’m still trying to figure that out myself.

I know it seems sometimes to me, and I’m sure to many, that I’m expecting Utopia. While I am hopeful for a lot of good to come (otherwise, why would I be doing it!), I do have some realistic ideas of what this will mean… working to grow food and living more lightly on the land is going to take some adjustment.  It won’t be an easy transition but it’s one I want to try to make.  If it is completely unworkable, I can always go back to the rat race!  But we have some basic goals: using less fossil fuel, spending more time being cognizant of our use of resources, working to live more sustainably, having less impact on Mother Earth, and living more simply than we have been most of our lives.

Before I left for this week at the Harn, I watched a documentary sent by Keith Johnson, a Permaculture friend from Indiana.  It’s called A Simpler Way: Crisis as Opportunity and you can watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=4&v=XUwLAvfBCzw

This film is set Down Under but it remains pertinent to the U.S. as we all share one globe and there are many similarities between their culture and ours. I found it to be inspiring and was excited by the project these people undertook.  I was not surprised that there was struggle.  I believe any worthy endeavor will have its share of struggle.  And though I am ignorant today of all the struggle we will face as we make our own transition, I am ready for the challenge.  I think it will come in unexpected ways, as it usually does!  But some of the things I expect I believe will turn out better than I hoped.  For example, we recently cleaned out some humi-buckets (buckets full of poop for the uninitiated) and it was MUCH easier than I expected it to be.  Very easy cleanup and truly a vast improvement on the current system most people use today of pooping in potable water and flushing it away.  One of the worst jobs in housekeeping is cleaning the toilet.  With a humanure system it’s actually much easier to clean and maintain, not to mention a HUGE savings on potable water usage!!  So simplicity has its advantages.

There are sure to be disadvantages or at least what appear to be disadvantages from my current perspective.

• We will not be eating out at restaurants like we do these days.  We won’t be in town for one thing and we will want to live on a much smaller budget for another.  But will this be a downside? I am hoping it will mean a more healthy diet, a more sustainable diet and one that may even result in becoming more fit!  That is one expectation I hope is fulfilled… becoming more fit.
• We will have less social interactions and opportunities for entertainment.  While we can head to Bemidji for some culture, we plan to not head to town at every whim which will mean more limited access to people and amusement.  But, will this be a downside?  I am hoping to find more time to play the flute I made at Rec Lab last year and to entertain myself making crafts and upcycling.  I’m wondering if this will be an even more fulfilling life than buying or observing entertainment has been to date.  And I’m wondering if the social things might just come to us.  We have friends a couple miles down the road and I’m hopeful we will cultivate visitors that will bring serendipity and whimsy to our days as we settle in the new neighborhood.
• We will have less income.  The goal eventually is for neither of us to be working full-time jobs outside the home and so, this will mean less monetary resources.  But perhaps the time we have will allow us to create income or barter opportunities that are preferable to giving the lion’s share of our weeks to an employer.  And surely living more simply will require much less income.  It seems to be a rule of salary that, as it grows, so do your expenditures.  And as it shrinks, so should our expenditures!  But I believe we will have everything that’s important and one of the goals of living a more simple life is to determine what those things are.

As you can see, I’m optimistic.  Those of you who know me expect no less than this!  I am always trying to see the bright side and find the positive.  I am hopeful that will help as I look to making this transition.  From the film I watched, I found a wonderful resource on ideas about this new way of life.  I plan to spend some time reading what they have to share. [And yes, Dan and I are hopeful for plenty of time for reading in this new way of life.]  http://simplicityinstitute.org/  This is a terrific article explaining The Simpler Way http://theconversation.com/the-simple-life-manifesto-and-how-it-could-save-us-33081

I encourage you to consider whether some simpler ways of life could bring not deprivation or hardship but real enjoyment, peace and happiness.  I’ll keep you posted on my journey!!

What Does the Future Hold?

In my first job out of college, at Inland Steel, I was told during my first annual review that I needed to “balance my idealism with realism”.  At the time this seemed reasonable and I spent much time and energy in convincing myself of its truth.  But I always felt uneasy and disloyal to my Self in doing so.  In the business world, if only to maintain one’s patience, perhaps this is true. It kept me stuck in most of the jobs I had through my career for much longer than I should have stayed.  I eventually came back around to my idealistic roots and realized my dreams could come true!  I wonder what could have been if only I held firm and took steps toward my dreams all along.

In hindsight, I see the best plan is to remain idealistic, to hang on to those big dreams. How else can we continue to innovate, make progress and move forward into the future in a positive way?

This past week and a half has been full of challenge and inspiration.

• On September 10th, Jay Coggins, University of Minnesota Professor of Economics, opened this year’s Alexandria Technical and Community College Senior College with his talk “Economics and Climate Change”.  His premise was that while fossil fuels are miraculous, our use of them is rendering our planet more and more unlivable. His contention is that, based on current rates, by the year 2100, our planet will be uninhabitable by mammals. That means that in about 85 years, ONE LIFESPAN, we will no longer have a home.
• In my inbox, Yes Magazine directed me to George Price (https://georgepriceblog.wordpress.com/) who writes that, at our current pace, we are on track to reach 2°C warming in 15 years.  So, forget our grandchildren; our kids may be screwed.  Well, maybe only if your kids live in Miami, which, with the melting of polar ice caps, will be underwater.  Can you imagine?  Miami undersea within a couple decades?  I wrote a Letter to the Editor on the above two items but unfortunately, this is what was published in the Echo Press this week: http://www.echopress.com/letters/3841138-there-cause-alarm-regarding-climate-change   This ongoing theme in the Echo’s LTEs that CO2 is good for plants so we should all be happy for the excess CO2 in the atmosphere, gives me little hope for the full and intelligent comprehension of facts in the community in which I currently reside.  I mean, water is crucial for the body’s survival but, if you drink too much in a short period of time, it’s fatal.  It’s fruitless to argue with the laws of physics.
• My Non-Fiction Book Club began September 13th with a dozen community members discussing “This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. The Climate” by Naomi Klein. While not everyone had finished the book and a couple had only started, we had a lively conversation about the book’s ideas that our extractive economy is not sustainable and the magical thinking that there will be a technical cure for repairing the climate in the nick of time is just that, magical.  We commiserated that, because we’re not among the extremely wealthy crowd buying our current politicians, there may be little we can do to change this with government action.  But we shared enthusiasm that the efforts of Blockadia, groups of everyday citizens ~ often teens with their grandparents, are succeeding in protecting our Mother Earth from new and potentially devastating extractive activities, at least in the short-term. And the work of Indigenous People, in sustaining their long-forgotten treaties, may give some legal basis for allowing continued preservation of the land so the Earth can have some chance at regeneration.  The Book Club was so excited that we ran over time and barely touched on what we thought our next read might be.  This week, excellent news was received that the planned Enbridge pipeline up north is back to square one as there will be a required Environmental Impact Study.  The environmental effort in MN is now among some of the most successful in the world with preventing fossil fuel companies from running roughshod over the citizens of our state.

This small group of readers took me from challenge to inspiration.  And an even larger group has made an even bigger impact in bringing my idealism back to the forefront.

On September 18^th, along with Mom and Deb Trumm, I attended the Minneapolis Foundation’s Futurist Conference where some of the most forward thinking people of our time, some would call them idealists, were speaking on a variety of topics. From Education to Fundraising, from Health Care to the Environment, we gathered an overwhelming amount of information.

The day began with breakfast and keynote speaker Dan Pallotta who transformed our ways of thinking about charities.  His main points were that in worrying about overhead as a percentage of the group’s expenses, we lose sight of their overall impact; in criticizing for high salaries at non-profits as immoral, we limit the kind of talent these groups can attract (not to mention the exponentially higher for-profit CEO pay getting a pass with respect to immorality); and in chastising non-profits for failures, we prohibit future innovative practices.  Rather than asking what percentage of income goes to overhead, better questions are:

• What are your goals and how do you measure progress in meeting them?
• Who are your collaborators?
• How are you growing your funding to support the cause?
• What impacts are you making?

The cost of a bake sale involves almost no overhead but the results are minuscule, maybe making $71.  But with 40% “overhead”, a bigger pie of $710K can be raised to support your cause. Without proper marketing and talent, our favorite cause doesn’t get very far on making a difference.

Check out these ideas at www.CharityDefenseCouncil.org.

We then moved to the auditorium for a lively talk from Dr. Michio Kaku, Theoretical Physicist, Author and Professor who gave us a glimpse into the future after reviewing in brief our previous tech waves:

• The Steam Engine gave us the start of the Industrial Revolution… and led to the Crash of 1850 which instigated Marxism.
• The Electric and Atomic Age continued our advance… but led to the Crash of 1929 and resulting Depression and WWII.
• Technology and Computers gave us amazing breakthroughs… but also contributed to the Crash of 2008 which has left many in economic crisis.

So what’s the next wave? The Nanotech and Biotech Age.  A world of Artificial Intelligence. A place where you-think-it-you-bought-it and where wallpaper can be changed like a desktop background and will include a mirror where you can access Robo-Docs that will revolutionize medical care and reduce costs.  We will move from Mass Production to Mass Customization where you can input  your measurements and receive clothes that fit perfectly.

My disappointment grew as I noticed no factoring in of the fact that all this technology requires a planet from which we can operate and there was no talk of finding an alternate planet to populate. During the Q&A with Kerri Miller from MPR, Dr. Kaku was asked about Climate Change and he says this is for his next book… he has no deploy-able answers at present.  But he did reference fusion technology, which will reportedly be available from France by 2020.  He also discussed at length the inability of Americans to educate our people for post-graduate work.  The majority of our grad students today are foreigners, coming in via the Genius Visa (H1B); not one American born post-grad exists in his organization at the City College of New York.

I guess as a theoretical physicist, there may be no surprises for him in the recent developments of the world (because these guys think of all forms of outrageous possibility), but the practical application of physics may be outside the daily sphere.  He didn’t mention the next “Crash” but perhaps it will be our planet coming to its limit on how much carbon it can realistically absorb before it stops functioning to viably support human life.

A last minute change brought a new keynote speaker for lunch, Dan Beutnerr, who thrilled us with the optimism of Blue Zones: https://www.bluezones.com/about-blue-zones/.  His organization’s approach:

The Blue Zones Project is a systems approach in which citizens, schools, employers, restaurants, grocery stores and community leaders collaborate on policies and programs that move the community towards better health and well-being.

While they are working now throughout the US, they started with Albert Lea, MN.  By offering a menu of options, each community can focus on areas with high buy-in and work toward goals specific to their geography, infrastructure and people.  Basic principles for the original Blue Zones Dan discovered included:

• Plant-based diets with minimized meat (maybe 5X per month, often with ritual/ceremonial aspects).
• Eating to 80% capacity.  In other words, not over-eating.
• Staying active, incorporating lots of natural movement each day.
• Prioritizing family and friends.
• Having a community of faith and one that respects and celebrates elders.
• Drinking some red wine every day.  And some water too!

The specifics vary but the results make sense.  In the US, his group works with communities to increase incorporation of bike/pedestrian paths, healthy food availability/access and  while at the same time reducing smoking and the billboards for fast food.  The results are increased life expectancy along with reductions in obesity, smoking, absenteeism and health care claims.

The Breakouts came after lunch and I attended The Future of the Environment with Shalini Gupta, Patrick Hamilton, Winona LaDuke & Michael Noble.  The focus was on how the impacts of our energy systems often inequitably affect people based on race and class.

Shalini opened with a review that explained with her fossil fuel usage graph from 1776 to 2011: the pre-Emancipation Proclamation era was largely flat due to the widespread use of the labor of black slaves; the implementation of power plants at the turn of the century occurred primarily in neighborhoods of color and poverty; the practices of mining for uranium in the Dakotas, Wyoming and Montana quietly grew when, in 1972, President Nixon signed a secret executive order declaring this four state region a “National Sacrifice Area”; and the petro-chemical industry devastated the town of Mossville, Louisiana, founded 225 years ago by ex-slaves and now referred to by some  as the poster child of environmental racism and injustice.

The panel then introduced themselves and fielded questions from the audience.

• Bill Gates refused to support fossil fuel elimination stating that renewables were not ready.  What are your thoughts? Costs are down 80%, and infrastructure goes up 8-10% every year, deployment is way up with wind being the most economical.  With increased efficiency we reduce need and renewables will be adequate.
• We have the possibility to mine for copper/nickel and more in Minnesota.  How can we develop this sustainably?  The materials remaining require huge removals of materials and destruction to the earth, let’s STOP DIGGING.  It’s too expensive.  How about we mine the landfills for copper?  It’s easier to find and ready for use.
• Is 100% Renewable possible?  As we increase efficiency, we will get to a level of fossil fuel usage that is respectful.  Our food systems are full of fossil fuels so there is much to reduce in this arena.  The transition may still involve some fossil fuels but a focus on renewables is the only way to prevent catastrophe.

Overall, the message seems to be that we CAN get to better practices but it will take all of us making changes like eating more locally, using less electricity/gas and moving toward sustainable energy practices.

The final speaker was Atul Gawande, author of Being Mortal and the reason I attended the conference.  He spoke with heart about the experiences of his mother and his friend’s father.  Both received some of the most unnecessary and irrelevant testing after having an experience with fainting.  His mother, in relative good health, luckily found out she didn’t need a scraping of her carotid artery or stints around her heart.  In fact, her whole issue was a new diuretic which caused dehydration so the solution, after travel across the state and all these expensive tests, was to advise her to drink more fluids.  His friend’s dad, in not as good health, ended up getting medical treatment that was not advisable… and his last 6 months of life were greatly debilitated.

Atul spoke about how teams of doctors are better than individual doctors, especially when paid for outcomes, not treatments.  His previous book, The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right, was implemented in 8 hospitals around the world and found a reduction in complications by 35% and a reduction in deaths by 47%.  Simple checklists improved medical care better than any pill or procedure.  We need to re-think our ideas around medical care.

His more recent book, Being Mortal, tells that we need to start having discussions about what people wish for their lives as they age and when they face terminal illness.  Perhaps chemo to the very end isn’t the best treatment if one would rather have time with family while feeling good, not debilitated by the treatment.  Perhaps surgery isn’t the best plan, if the risks outweigh the rewards in accordance with the patient’s goals. Sometimes treatment IS the best plan.  But in our current system, it seems to be the default plan.  Understanding what is important to our elders goes a long way in making the right decisions for their care.  And sometimes longevity isn’t the most important goal.

Would we rather live 2 months with pain management or 6 months with symptoms that prevent us from enjoying any time at all with family and friends?  How much change/treatment/pain are we willing to endure? And for what kinds of outcomes?  If we can enjoy football and eat ice cream, is that enough?  Or do we want to maintain an ability to travel?  These are the kinds of things we need to discuss to make the best decisions with our loved ones.  Rather than “medicalizing mortality” we need to use communication to share what kind of life we want to live, and for how long.

The conference, while challenging, was also full of hope.  The diversity in the room of 1700 people was astounding.  All ages, races, genders, sexual identities.  There are many groups taking action to improve health care, education, equality, justice, arts, civic engagement and other aspects of life that are critical to success and happiness.  And there are lots of people focused on ideas that are making a difference.  Now I need to focus on what I do to join them and make my own impact moving forward.