Mixed Signals: The lost year

No. 14 – 25th of October, 2020

On Friday night, we entered another lockdown here in Wales.

We were sort of in one already.

To be honest, my energy is running low.

Not so much for me (I'm an introvert... happy with a few long walks, good books, good films, good food, and bad TV).

But for my kids.

To 'lose' a year of your adult life isn't great.

But to lose a year of your childhood is huge. To not see your friends. To stop playing the sports you love. To not go exploring.

Quite rightly, we've prioritised the NHS. We prioritised the economy. Education now seems to be getting similar treatment.

And now we need to prioritise our kids. Starting right now.

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📚 Things I've been reading...

+ In the last issue, I mentioned how much I enjoy short books. How to Enjoy Poetry definitely meets that criteria. It could easily be enjoyed with a cuppa, and finished before it gets cold!
+ My little girl (and I) love I Am Enough. (Thank you Renato).
+ And An Emotional Menagerie is proving very popular at home each evening. I'm slowly growing my School of Life book collection.
+ Not sure if the Landscape Photographer of the Year images are easing the pain of being stuck at home, or making it worse. Either way, they're beautiful.

📺 Things I've been watching...

+ With zero interest in fishing, I've long ignored the praise for Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing. Eventually, I gave in. And I'm so glad I did.
+ As well as the book on emotions, this video (also from The School of Life) is well worth the six minutes it takes to watch.

🎧 Things I've been listening to...

+ Evolutionary psychology helps me with my job as a foster carer (+ my day job understanding people). And so Tim Ash's appearance on the Brainfluence podcast, talking about his upcoming book (Unleash Your Primal Brain) was not to be missed.
+ Also on Brainfluence was Ashley Whillans, talking about her book (which I'm currently reading), Time Smart. Understanding time has long been a fascination of mine.
+ Dr Chatterjee's discussion with Dr Pippa Grange (the doctor who helped 'transform the England football team') was incredible. Not sure I've come across many conversations that are so open and honest.
+ Seth's right. We've taken the worst bits of meetings and events and put them online. We should be changing the game entirely.

📝 Things by (or about!) me...

+ I tweeted this graphic from Neville Medhora that helpfully explains circles of control. A nice reminder when it feels like so much is out of our control right now.