Footnotes to a Conversation, December 9, 2024
“Love is taking a few steps backward, maybe even more, to give way to the happiness of the person you love.” – Winnie the Pooh
Deep France
In France Profound: The Long History of a House, a Mountain Town, and a People by T.D. Allman provides an in-depth look at how global events shape people's lives in a small town in a rural part of France, exploring universal themes as they repeat throughout history – power and ambition, courage, and making a living. It’s a dense, thoughtful overview of French history. [Grove Atlantic]
Radical Rest
This article is aimed at climate activists but has an important message for all of us, perhaps especially during the holiday season when we try to fit in as many activities as possible.
“For those of us who are not all-powerful, to rest is often easier said than done. We live in a system where we have been conditioned to measure our worth by our productivity. Even where we have broken away from this idea, there is still a sense in which we feel worthless when we fail to do ‘enough’ … When you begin to understand the importance of rest, then you begin to listen. You listen out for what your body is telling you in a more holistic way because you recognise not only the worth of what the hand needs to do but also what the head needs and what the heart needs. This offers up far more than just taking time out so that you can be more productive on your return, it offers up a new way of understanding ourselves and the world around us, a way of reflecting on what is truly of worth.” [Wild Card]
Books, Etc.
The library in Esquimalt is part of a community hub. Local art is displayed in the foyer. There’s a coffee shop and a pub next door and apartments on the upper levels. The library itself contributes to community with people gathering around a table to chat while they add pieces to a jigsaw puzzle. I worry that all the additional services libraries now provide detract from their primary purpose of encouraging people to read, but I’m also aware that our communities are badly in need of places where everyone is welcome and it’s free.
“The library is also a place where people can go to become a better version of themselves. You can go to the library and learn new skills — to increase your employability, perhaps, or to go deeper in a new hobby … and again, it won’t cost you a thing. These things make a community an even better place to live and stay.” [Connective Tissue]
Eco-Urban Poetry
There are some lovely poems in SPROUT, an eco-urban poetry journal published free online. [The Nature of Cities]
Footnotes to a Conversation is a weekly Monday feature covering an assortment of topics that I’ve come across in the preceding week – books, art, travel, food, and whatever else strikes my fancy. I also post occasional articles on other dates, including frequent book reviews and travel tales.
If you share my love of nature, check out EcoFriendly West, an online publication encouraging environmental initiatives in Western Canada, and Nature Companion, a free nature app for Canada’s four western provinces.