Other Ideas – Page 2 – design + surrender

step by step, one goes far – dutch proverb

I don’t know how it will happen. The next part of my life. Though there are moments of panic and anxiety, I am mostly allowing myself to not know. And, to be honest, that has been very hard. So many people want me to tell them. What’s next? What’s the plan? What are you goingContinue reading “step by step, one goes far – dutch proverb”

greed

For a while now, I have been pondering the idea of greed. We are never satisfied. It is not a new failing. Some of our most ancient myths, epics, stories, and texts all deal with the concept. I read Herman Melville’s Moby Dick recently for the first time. Somehow it never came up in anyContinue reading “greed”

nature abhors a vacuum – aristotle

We have been trading in our masters for centuries. We break free of one, then another one comes in to take its place. Nature abhors a vacuum, they say. A king, a religious leader, a president, a school, a company. All of them want you to behave in a certain way that benefits their overallContinue reading “nature abhors a vacuum – aristotle”

less is more

We live in a time like none other. We. Have. So. Much. Stuff. Recently, my mother-in-law passed away. Her husband, my father-in-law, passed less than two years before. It has been very difficult for my husband, as he has had to go through his childhood home and deal with a lifetime of belongings while heContinue reading “less is more”

i make myself rich by making my wants few – henry david thoreau

I lived in Santiago, Chile for a year, about fifteen years ago. I lived out of a backpack the entire time, renting a room in different apartments, and was a teacher’s assistant at a university. There was a moment, when I was with another person from the United States, and I saw a few buskersContinue reading “i make myself rich by making my wants few – henry david thoreau”

privilege

I am in a position of great privilege, of course, to even be asking questions about the state of work in our current age. I left my job during the pandemic because of the risks associated with the position. My husband was still working from home and we had enough in savings to cover ourContinue reading “privilege”

freedom

I’m a big-picture kind of person. I like to look at where we are in the broader scheme of things. I can see that, in this era in the United States, we are very lucky. We have choices. For the first time in recent history, a woman can be literally anything she wants. Can workContinue reading “freedom”

25 is the new 10

For me, the hardest part about growing up is realizing that no one really knows what they’re doing. Some believe they do, but really, deep down, everyone has their doubts. It’s like discovering that Santa Claus doesn’t exist when you’re 25. For so long, you believed the system you grew up in was logical andContinue reading “25 is the new 10”

work, work, work, work, work, work – rihanna

I like to work. I think we all do. I love the feeling at the end of the day when I’m tired and I know that I did a good job. That I put in effort, that I used my skills, that I solved a problem for someone. The thing is, I am no longerContinue reading “work, work, work, work, work, work – rihanna”