The Me-Time Mixtape: Three essential hand-curated links and resources on creative self-care. Carve out some me time this week!

#1 Ode to an Octopus

I don't need validation, but it seems my obsession with octopuses is catching on (and yes, as an early adopter and someone who has loved these animals since childhood, I take full credit for their popularity now 😂 🐙🐙). This National Geographic show (in three glorious parts) pulls back the veil on these wonderfully smart creatures. Three of my favorite takeaways:

  • The speed and facility with which octopuses change color, shape, and texture is unmatched in the animal world.
  • They are smart enough to use tools (just like chimpanzees and us)!
  • They live in all the world's oceans and their adaptations and variety are astounding; I've only seen the Pacific octopus up close, but there's the blue-ringed, mimic, and coconut, just to name a few.
National Geographic WILD - Secrets of the Octopus
In every ocean…just beyond our shores…lives an animal with characteristics we think of as “human” – intelligent, social, curious, gentle, and fierce. They build cities, use tools, and collaborate with other species to hunt. They have persona National Geographic for everyone in everywhere
National Geographic for everyone in everywhereNatGeo TV

#2 George the Poet on Nature

Here's George the Poet with some spoken word on our nature connection, a theme we are all thinking about this month with Earth Day just passed. As someone who walks in nature nearly daily, it brings my life balance and gives me time to think and plan. Sometimes it's nice to turn off the mind and just be present. As George expresses it...

We complement each other perfectly, giving each other balance and certainty.

Want more of George the Poet? Check out his award-winning podcast, Have You Heard George's Podcast.

George the Poet - The Natural World (poem)
The award-winning spoken word performer’s poem – written for our Nextdoor Nature community rewilding initiative – urges us to appreciate and cultivate green…
YouTube

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Old postcards from my trips to Cape May, New Jersey

#3 Journal Prompts Inspired by Postcards

You can make up a journal prompt using just about anything, including postcards. It's a wonderful way to remember and reflect on your travels. While writing my latest podcast episode (#28 – The Nature Connection: Finding Peace & Perspective), I dug up these postcards.

Here are three journal prompts inspired by my trips to Cape May.

📚Think back to a time when you were on top of a tall building or mountain or structure (like a lighthouse), who were you sharing the experience with and what thoughts came to mind up there?

📚Write about how a huge wave is a metaphor for some aspect of your life (past or present).

📚Write about something you've observed along a beach, shore, or green path (e.g., horseshoe crab, bird, wild mushrooms, frog). What thoughts come to mind as you look and explore this object or being?

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Latest Podcast Episodes

Episode #28: The Nature Connection: Finding Peace & Perspective

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