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When I was a kid taking swim lessons, the instructors taught us to use the backstroke or sidestroke as a “resting stroke.” A way to take a break from the more strenuous swimming stroke, which was usually the crawl.

In parts of my daily routine, I find there are natural “resting strokes” as well. I’m learning that the menial little chores I used to find annoying or tedious (such as taking out the trash, tidying up the contents of my canvas carry-all sack, putting air into my bicycle tires, reattaching a fence-board that’s become detached because the old screws rusted out) are actually a deep refuge. A “resting stroke” from the more challenging items I’ve chosen to take on my To-Do list; the things I consider my actual work. Preparing for a radio show; putting together a lecture for a permaculture design class; composing an email to suggest ways for my city to reduce its carbon footprint or mitigate heat; making a plan to speak at a meeting; writing a blog post; writing fiction — that sort of thing. Tasks that force me to stare down the abyss, confront self-doubt, sit in the discomfort of the unknown.

The fact that these menial little tasks like finding more cover-matter for the compost pile have to get done is like a mandatory break from the hard stuff. The hard stuff is ultimately my heart and soul, and I would never want to shirk it. But the itty-bitty tasks I have really come to appreciate as a sweet place to get centered, recharge, unhook from mind-exertion.

Of course, Buddhism and other religions have always counseled humans to be mindful in the present moment. I love the writings of Thich Nhat Hanh and Pema Chödrön, to name a couple of spiritual thinkers whose writings have helped me more fully appreciate the here and now.

But this “resting stroke” realization I had recently is like a whole new level of appreciating the present moment. I think I’ll keep it!

Instead of a call to arms … A call to arts!

“What is called for here is a special kind of love for the world, the love of those who discover the sublime value of life because they are about to lose it. For we are on the verge of losing this most precious and beautiful of worlds, a miracle in all the universe, a home for the evolution of souls, a little paradise here in the richness of space, where we are meant to live and grow and be happy, but which we are day by day turning into a barren stone in space.

“So a new existentialism is called for. Not the existentialism of Camus and Jean-Paul Sartre, negative and stoical in spirit, but a brave and visionary existentialism, where as artists we dedicate our lives to nothing short of re-dreaming society. We have to be strong dreamers. We have to ask unthinkable questions. We have to go right to the roots of what makes us such a devouring species, overly competitive, conquest-driven, hierarchical.”

(From an article by Ben Okri, “Artists must confront the climate crisis — we must write as if these are the last days”; in The Guardian.)

On a personal note, I am taking an online class in architectural drawing; thinking it might help me draw super green vegetation-covered apartment buildings and urban streetscapes of my imaginings.

Frugality is power. Growing at least some of our own food; doubling-up to reduce housing costs; avoiding car ownership or at least minimizing driving; minimizing household energy use; getting clothes and furniture from thrift stores or curbside. I always knew this but learned it on a deeper level when I went through years of living on 7k-10k a year, self-employment income, before taxes.

I am also at the same time working to change the rigged system that is trashing the planet and creating untold human suffering. But as long as the system is as it is, frugality is one of the best ways for a person, household, and community to get out from under the thumb of parasitic and usurious entities. And take control of their lives and livelihoods!

It’s also how to dismantle the corporations that profit by trashing ecosystems and indigenous economies. Not to glamorize poverty — I would like for everyone to have their basic needs met without having to struggle. But, if you have to pinch pennies, don’t think of it as deprivation; think of it as mastering valuable resilience skills, and squeezing the profit margins of corporations that are draining the life from your community.

Christmas is coming. For many people who are trying to practice de-growth and disengage from the consumer treadmill (and free themselves from having their houses and garages jampacked to the rafters with unused stuff), gift-giving holidays can bring anxiety.

For those whose families are big into gift-giving, a short note might help. Or it might not! But if you feel strongly about this, you could try writing a short note. I wrote this as a possible example after someone in one of my groups was looking for guidance on how to convey to her relatives that she and her husband don’t want holiday gifts:

Dear Family: Christmas time is approaching. For many reasons, we are no longer celebrating the gift-giving aspect of Christmas. For those of you living nearby, we hope we will get to spend time together with you, simply enjoying each other’s company. We’d love to have you over for coffee, drinks or a meal. We could play some cards, play board games, tell stories, or do a puzzle together. For those more geographically distant, let’s enjoy each other’s company in a similar manner by Zoom.

(Some people may still end up giving you stuff — but you have made your wishes clear. Just quietly give the items away, and take joy in knowing that someone who really needs them will use and appreciate them.)

Have you succeeded in conveying to family or friends that you don’t want material gifts? Have you been able to do it without hurting your loved ones’ feelings? And do they abide by your wishes? If so, please help others who are on the same path by sharing what you said/did that worked!

Some people in the rich industrialized world have gotten way too comfortable with the idea that we can’t possibly cut consumption enough to live on renewables. Do you consider nuclear to be an acceptable option? I do not.

It’s probably no news to people in the USA that consumers here are being battered by inflation. (I assume things are just as bad or worse in other countries. But people in the USA have tended to be insulated from the worst of world conditions.)

One of the beat ways to deal with inflation is to minimize consumption; cut out whole categories whenever possible.

Google is our friend, as are various anti-consumption groups on social media. Formulas for making our own household cleaners, bath products, etc., abound. As do tips for minimizing our household energy consumption. Making or mending our own clothing, furniture, and so on. And although most of us have to buy food, most of us can grow at least some of our own. And we can avoid or cut down on foods that have gone way up in price.

In some cases, supermarket prices are rising enough to be more on a par with farmers’ market prices. This is good news for local farms and for our health.

Americans used to be known for thrift and ingenuity. We can be again. Thrift is a skill that can bring great joy and help us reduce the power that advertisers and big corporate entities have over us.

Inflation can be alarming and upsetting, especially for those who’ve never before lived in inflationary times. But, you can handle it. Double up; make do; tighten up; get really focused on the things that are most important to you.

One thing that’s still cheap or free is online classes. Over the years I’ve availed myself of more classes than I can count. Right now I’m taking a class in architectural sketching, so I can get better at presenting my ideas for integrating nature into the built environment.

Have you taken any good classes lately? What would you like to add to your knowledge base or skillset today?

(Also: YouTube videos. And library books!)

Being able to choose what you cultivate is one of the delights of the gardener.

That said, the plants you refer to as “ugly weeds” each one has a name and a place in the ecosystem. Many times they have been the only vegetables available to me. And occasionally during harder times, even the only food on my plate.* They are also deeply medicinal.

Humans aside, they support the native pollinators who enable our tender cultivars to survive and flourish!

You have so much going on that I doubt you need another activity. But if you ever want to learn about Florida native plants, our local chapter of Florida Native Plant Society is a sweet group, and many of the people have formed lifelong human friendships there as well as befriending plants, and helping to restore Florida ecosystems.

*(Added later to just this post: The comment about wild plants often being my only vegetables, and a time or three even the only food on my plate, is NOT seeking sympathy for myself — I have forged my path in life, and any modest hardships I’ve experienced have made me a kinder and stronger person — but rather, seeking RESPECT for plant allies and for all species. A “weed” is just a plant we haven’t bothered to learn the name of. I bet that to other species, we sound like hicks and rubes and doofuses when we talk like this. And of course we (industrial nonindigenous consumerist critters) sound like the ecosystem-ravagers that we’ve become, by marinating in the synthetic Anglo-centric colonialist-consumerist “culture” we have co-created over the past several centuries.)