Spoon by Spoon
Here they all are. There’s no order, other than I wrote the first one first and the second one second…. you get the picture. If you fancy going back to the start of all of these, then head for the bottom of this page. But don’t feel obliged to, you could just as well rummage around and read what you like.
Learning the art of the break
We learn from each other all the time. From our children, our parents, colleagues, clients and friends. Even Donald Trump has taught us a thing or two – the perils of fake tan and trying to tame hair in later life. He has also reminded us to trust our instincts. When The Donald was inContinue reading “Learning the art of the break”
How long is a piece of string?
This is a good question. If you’re in the market for string you can buy it in many places. DIY store B&Q has 60 metres of cotton twine for sale. Their natural garden twine comes in at 50 metres. Mosey on down to supermarket chain Sainsbury’s and you’ll get general purpose string, although somewhat shorterContinue reading “How long is a piece of string?”
So close and yet so far
Welcome to summer! Normally a time to explore new places, eat different cuisines and stretch our horizons. But this year is different. Many of us will be vacationing closer to home. Holidays that will be far enough away from our neighbourhoods to feel like a break but reducing the risks by staying in our ownContinue reading “So close and yet so far”
What we see isn’t there
When I was a child, I came across an old book of prints tucked away in a dark corner of the library. There was a particular print which caught my eye. It was called Relativity by the artist Escher. I was drawn in by the faceless people (or was it one person) walking up and downContinue reading “What we see isn’t there”
Improve your life in six seconds
Om Mani Padme Hum. Or, in its original ancient language of Sanskrit – ॐ मणिपद्मे हूँ If you’ve done any yoga in the past, this chant might be familiar to you. There are debates about its meaning, but “Mani Padme” is often translated as “jewel in the Lotus.” The Lotus flower is ubiquitous across India, East and South-EastContinue reading “Improve your life in six seconds”
Painting with words
“I’m an Olympic swimmer standing in a bucket of water.” That’s how Marcia started our Spoon by Spoon conversation. She painted a picture of everything she needed to say in just ten words. Marcia is from Brazil and has worked in different countries, trying her hand at different types of roles. When we caught up, she wasContinue reading “Painting with words”
Why nothing stays the same
There is no such thing as forever. We’re constantly shape-shifting – getting fatter, getting thinner, getting wiser, getting fitter. Meanwhile trees and plants are growing, buildings are changing, people are coming in and out of our lives, and our moods are constantly fluctuating, like clouds scudding across the sky. We have a strange relationship withContinue reading “Why nothing stays the same”
Conflict can be collaboration and friends can be foes
By the time I got to know my granny, she was a little old lady who wore aprons with pockets full to the brim with bits and pieces. She had short, grey permed hair and glasses that hung from a cord – sometimes so full of crumbs that birds would perch for a feed. SheContinue reading “Conflict can be collaboration and friends can be foes”
Where’s the finish line?
There Is No Finish Line. These are not the words you want to read as you’re running for a third day in a row, with no end in sight. “Big Dog’s Backyard Ultra” is a race like no other. Justin Goulding writes about it in this BBC article here. Since its launch in 2011 Gary CantrellContinue reading “Where’s the finish line?”
Don’t die as a caterpillar
We all know how children develop: first words, first steps, bikes with stabilisers. Then, in no time at all, they’re driving cars and off to college. But what happens after that? How do we continue to learn and grow as adults? Dr Robert Kegan is a developmental psychologist, author and Harvard University Professor. For yearsContinue reading “Don’t die as a caterpillar”
Our obsession with new
Nothing is new. Everything is derivative. We’re all building on what has gone before. Look at Sir Isaac Newton (1642 – 1726). Physicist, astronomer, philosopher and author. A key figure in the scientific revolution. A great mathematician and one of the most influential scientists in history. Yet despite this glowing CV (resumé), he humbly said this ofContinue reading “Our obsession with new”
Why we need to dig deep
Life can be dispiriting at times. We put huge effort into an endeavour (art, music, love, work) for it to go nowhere at all. Or we find ourselves toiling away, creating, building, refining, and then have only a modicum of success. Neither seems to match the blood, sweat and tears we’ve expended. I was remindedContinue reading “Why we need to dig deep”
We can all stickle it
Growing up in the 1970s, I was fed a diet of BBC children’s programmes like Bagpuss and The Clangers. If you’re unfamiliar with them, please allow me a short childhood reminiscence. Bagpuss was first shown in 1974 – the story of a magical cloth cat that came alive. Every episode a young girl, Emily, wouldContinue reading “We can all stickle it”
Trusting your gut
Guts are having a renaissance. It’s 2021 and it’s now perfectly acceptable to bring them up in conversation. Look in the bookshop window and the shelves are groaning with guts. The gastrointestinal tract is merely a 4.5 metre tube, yet it’s the most densely populated spot on the planet. A place that 100 trillion microbes callContinue reading “Trusting your gut”
The name for people who are lost
Collective nouns do what they say on the tin – they’re the names for collection of things, like a herd of cows, a hive of bees or a pride of lions. These are easy ones that a five-year old would know. Here are more everyday examples: a fleet of ships, a panel of experts, a podContinue reading “The name for people who are lost”
The relative size of things
The time we spend thinking about something often doesn’t match its importance in our lives. If we parked all our worries in a line, they would stretch to the horizon. When is the ‘eat by’ date of the yoghurt? Did I use the wrong title on the presentation? Should I smile more at the check-outContinue reading “The relative size of things”
Being a frog in a well
Count the number of times I’ve included Japan in my blog posts and you’d think I was in love with the place. Japan appears every few weeks – here on regrets, here on career advice, this on the power of words, one on having a calling and here on the strength of letting go. I use the word “appearing” as I’m not doingContinue reading “Being a frog in a well”
Why we’re always learning
“When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.” The author of this saying is lost to the mists of time, although it’s routinely attributed to The Buddha, the Chinese text The Confucian Analects, The Theosophics, or even Tao Te Ching (in a longer form): “when the student is ready the teacher will appear. When the student is truly ready,Continue reading “Why we’re always learning”
Being lost and also found
Who doesn’t love a horror film? Me actually, but many people do. Why do we snuggle up on the sofa to watch gore? Why do we invite terror into our homes? Isn’t life stressful enough anyway? Christian Jarrett wrote about this in The Psychologist magazine. “Fear coils in your stomach and clutches at your heart. It’s anContinue reading “Being lost and also found”
When life is two sides of the same coin
The expression “two sides of the same coin” refers to things that seem different but are actually related; tragedy and comedy for example or love and hate. According to The Cambridge Dictionary “violent behaviour and deep insecurity are often two sides of the same coin.” The Longman Dictionary has “great opportunity and great danger areContinue reading “When life is two sides of the same coin”
Why I’m better than him, but worse than her
Gaussian Curve is the name of a music trio – an Italian, a Dutchman and a Scot. I’m not starting with a culturally insensitive joke though. The direction I want to take is a mathematical one; the statistical Gaussian Curve from where the band takes its name. A Gaussian Curve describes the normal distribution of things,Continue reading “Why I’m better than him, but worse than her”
Words, schmerds
“’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves did gyre and gimble in the wabe: All mimsy were the borogoves, And the mome raths outgrabe.” Jabberwocky, by Lewis Carroll, 1871 Words are funny things. They’re a jumble of letters and sounds which intrinsically don’t mean anything. A few words are onomatopoeiac – the ones that sound like the things theyContinue reading “Words, schmerds”
How to change by not changing at all
Margaret Thatcher was the UK’s Prime Minister from 1979 – 1990. In her party’s October 1980 conference, she said: “You turn if you want to. The lady’s not for turning!” She was hitting back at those who wanted to force her hand, to get her to change her mind. She stood firm, despite the concernContinue reading “How to change by not changing at all”
Money, money, money
“I work all night, I work all day, to pay the bills I have to pay, ain’t it sadAnd still there never seems to be a single penny left for me, that’s too bad” ABBA, 1976 Agnetha, Björn, Benny and Anni-Frid grafted for decades before they made it. Their break came in 1974 at the EurovisionContinue reading “Money, money, money”
Waking up from unmindfulness
Here’s a bit of Greek mythology that I discovered the other day. In Greek legend, Lethe is the River of Unmindfulness, one of five rivers in the Underworld. The river winds around a cave where a character called Hypnos lives and anyone who drinks from Lethe’s waters forgets everything that went before. As is the wayContinue reading “Waking up from unmindfulness”
Choice is not always our friend
Ever found yourself rooted to the spot? Overwhelmed by choice, unsure what to buy? 30 sorts of cooking oil, 23 brands of shampoo, 15 types of eggs. The issue is not what. It’s which. Renata Saleci is a Professor of Psychology, Psychoanalysis and Law (an interesting combination). This is her talking about the paradox ofContinue reading “Choice is not always our friend”
Why eating salad isn’t enough
I’ve just finished reading Sherry Turkle’s Reclaiming Conversations – Power of Talk in a Digital Age. Turkle is a Professor of the Social Study of Science and Technology at MIT. She’s spent 30 years studying people’s relationships with technology and her book is a great read. But if you haven’t got time here’s a summary: putContinue reading “Why eating salad isn’t enough”
When science is art and art is science
When I rocked up to a school chemistry class my teacher would sigh. I was good at English and history, art and music. But I was terrible at science. Physics was within touching distance if I really stretched. But chemistry? However hard I tried, I couldn’t work it out. Physics interacted with the world IContinue reading “When science is art and art is science”
Industrialising food and people: why it needs to stop
There are 300,000 edible plant species on the planet. Yet 60% of our plant-based calories are from wheat, corn and rice. The United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization says that 75% of our food is made up of five animals and twelve plants. And we’re losing plants all the time. Since the 1900s, 90% of the US’s native fruit andContinue reading “Industrialising food and people: why it needs to stop”
Why this isn’t the time to set resolutions
Rain, rain, go away, Come again another day. Rain, rain, rain. It’s been falling for days. I look out at the leaden sky as huge raindrops pound the windowsill and bounce heavily on the grass outside. Will it ever stop? I’ve been indoors for weeks. OK, two days, but it feels much longer. I giveContinue reading “Why this isn’t the time to set resolutions”
When giving is really receiving
With the Christmas holidays upon us, my mind turns to gift giving. I thought I’d share with you a particular type of present: a Chewbacca present. This is something we buy for ourselves under the guise of buying it for another. The name comes from the first Chewbacca present. It was selected by my husband in the late 1970s.Continue reading “When giving is really receiving”
The importance of Friends (not the sitcom)
Brown. It’s the colour of the 1970s. This is my family, all dressed up in 1974. My father an embodiment of brown, from his beard to his suit, and the rest of us with our hair, the shoes, the cushion. Even the dog is on trend. Brown is definitely à la mode. My mother andContinue reading “The importance of Friends (not the sitcom)”
Why the steep road is less travelled
Shaun is in his mid 50’s, a successful businessman and consultant. He’s also one of my Spoon by Spoon interviewees. In recent years he feels he’s lost his way a bit in his career and when we caught up months ago, he was in a reflective mood. Shaun shared lots of stories about his life.Continue reading “Why the steep road is less travelled”
How our strength comes from letting go
Every year 20,000 angry earthquakes shake the planet. If you’ve never felt one, it’s a disturbing experience. I was in New Zealand years ago during a mild one. Even that was really unsettling. Many severe earthquakes live up to their name. When the earth literally quakes, so do we. It’s fundamental to our confidence toContinue reading “How our strength comes from letting go”
Why there is no light without the dark
Here’s a multiple-choice question. How is Paloma Faith, the singer, songwriter and actress, connected with Chinese philosophy? a) Did she date a Chinese philosopher called Zhang Wei? b) Does she originate from China? c) Like Chinese philosophy, is she two thousand years old? Or, d) None of the above?* Answer: It’s d). I’ll explain below. Continue reading “Why there is no light without the dark”
Why we are supposed to sing and dance
Thank you, Tim, for introducing me to Alan. Hello Alan. Alan can’t hear me because he’s dead. Sorry, it’s true. He died in 1973. Yet his ideas are as fresh as a daisy, despite pushing up daises. I trust he won’t mind my irreverence as Alan Watts was a Buddhist and a philosopher. He alsoContinue reading “Why we are supposed to sing and dance”
What I say is not what you hear
“The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.” George Bernard Shaw During the Korean War, a British army unit was holding a hill above an important river. But the British were on the back foot, surrounded and increasingly becoming outnumbered by the Chinese army: eight to one. The BritishContinue reading “What I say is not what you hear”
Four simple things we need to thrive
Air, water, nutrition, sleep. It’s what keeps us alive. It’s all we need. OK, I agree life wouldn’t be so much fun without the donuts, wine or Netflix. But we would endure. Survival experts use the rule of ‘threes’: we can live for three minutes without air, three days without water and three weeks withoutContinue reading “Four simple things we need to thrive “
Why sometimes we need to crack to let the light in
“Can’t find a house, my business is tanking, there’s a global pandemic and I’ve got terminal cancer. But you know… worse things happen at sea. Not much worse, but worse.” That’s my husband talking and we both find it funny. We lurk in the dark corners of black humour when things are challenging, as theyContinue reading “Why sometimes we need to crack to let the light in”
Staying true to your values — why it will help you flourish
This blog was inspired by a Headspace video on the life of a peony. A plant like a peony looks dead in the winter. But below the ground, it’s still alive. The roots, the plant’s soul, wait patiently for spring and warm weather, sending up new shoots and starting the cycle of birth again. The roots giveContinue reading “Staying true to your values — why it will help you flourish”
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