Sarah Wilson I’ve decided to start a new occasional series. From time to time I come across humans who just astound me with their whimsy. They do something a bit off-beat. A bit you’re-not-meant-to-do-that. I’ve noticed there’s usually One Thing that prompted them, or motivates them, or keeps them happy and therefore whimsical. I’m always busting to tap them on the shoulder and ask, “What’s your One Thing”. Now I do here. To kick off…
If you’re a sober, highly strung, fretty type you might find this cheering…a much-talked-about new book The Longevity Project, reveals cheery types die younger than the more sober, serious humanoid.
Howard Friedman and Leslie Martin, two psychologists, draw on a study of school kids by Stanford University that started in the 1920s to find what makes us live longer. It tracked these kids to their deaths.
The answer? Conscientiousness
Which is to say, “the often complex pattern of persistence, prudence, hard work, close involvement with friends and communities” which produces a well-organized person who is “somewhat obsessive and not at all carefree.”
Obsessive and not at all carefree?!! As an obsessive, rarely carefree individual this makes my day. It effectively confirms that my trying so hard at EVERYTHING actually pays off. It’s not uncool. Nor unnecessary. It has purpose. Even if it does mean I’ll be obsessive and rarely carefree for longer!
This week I pare back
Last Saturday I ate almost half a jar of anchovies in one sitting. It was a purposeful binge; I was emptying the jar so that I could use it as a vase for the dinner party I was hosting. I had four guests that night because I only have five plates. And we ate cheese after from off a piece of firewood I found out back.
Such are the details of my life since I started living out of a tin shed and a suitcase.
You see, eleven weeks ago I set off to live in a small corrugated iron cottage in the bush – partly to try something new, partly by way of writing sabbatical. I reduced everything I needed – clothes, swim goggles, favourite teapot, stick blender, Le Crueset pot – to one case (plus my computer, bike and ergonomic swivel chair). I could’ve packed more – I had a whole car to fill. But once I started asking myself whether I really needed a fourth pair of undies or oregano flakes or house slippers my list of life essentials shrank. And shrank.
No one needs five pairs of undies. When you think about it.
Almost three months on, I have two observations to share.
First, I’ve not missed a thing. Sure, I’ve had to make a few compromises, like eating a small school of hairy fish, and my soup with a dessertspoon. But they’ve been small.
Second, the experiment has made me inordinately and surprisingly happy.
This is so hard to fathom. The extreme poverty line in this country is defined as living on less than $2 a day. It makes my heart just sink. Yours too?
You might be interested in the Live Below the Line campaign designed to draw attention and raise money for the over one billion people worldwide going to bed hungry every night.
Via pinterest.com
The tirelessly passionate Julie Cowdroy, activist and academic, took up the challenge for five days and I got her to share how she did it. I’m going to give it a crack in a week or two….
I took my $10 to the supermarket and stocked up on
- rolled oats
- lentils
- potatoes
- a bag of carrots
- an onion
- two pears
- one mandarin
- a tin of tomatoes
- green tea
I’ve had a realisation this week. It’s simple – extend the time I think things take to get done. Chill. Then continue.
Much of my anxiety I realise comes from thinking things should go faster – the call to Bigpond, typing an email, this book I’m writing. My friend Gio who lives a languid life and is one of the most successful people I know (in the whole sense of the word) suggested this. He TRIPLES project times when he gets anxious. He’s a jeweller, a surfer, a bon vivant, a spiritualist, a wonderful partner, a fantasy property creator and he gets it all done…in the fullness of time. I’ve never seen him rushed.
Hofstadters’s Law states everything takes longer than you think (he also has some zany theories on consciousness). I read a study that said the biggest cause of procrastinating among successful people is underestimating how long things take. When they realise how long it will really take, they balk.
And lately I’ve noticed so many instances where things that are rushed through turn out so bodgy. Politics feels like this at the moment (pink batts etc). And I’ve read articles and books lately that feel this way, too. It’s deflating.
Anyway, I came across this. The cerebraly rich Ira Glass, host of radio show This American Life, offers this: excellence doesn’t come automatically, he says. “Being great takes time”…
Today, because it’s sunny where I am, I’m posting some nice bike pics… and a great bike video from Kate Spade which Gala Darling sent to me.
Ride on! (PS. stay tuned for an international bike-buying guide coming up).
Via pinterest.com
Via pinterest.com
Me, with the Cooper Zandvoort in Byron
This week I hone a morning routine
Most mornings I wake up (no alarm; between 6 -7 am) and drink a dromedary’s hump worth of hot water. While doing this I check emails and read my feeds. Then I exercise (20-60 minutes). Then I meditate, shower and eat breakfast. It’s the best bit of my day.
Granted, that was all a touch over-sharey (although I did spare you the ablutative bits). But I’m gambling on something I’ve observed over the course of my career interviewing hundreds of philosophers, writers, politicians, scientists and celebrities: everyone – successful or otherwise – likes to share and learn how others do their morning routine. Another observation: successful folk always have discernible, nay rigid, morning routines.
Warren Buffet wakes at 4.30am. Winston Churchill worked in bed until 11am, dictating to his secretaries and taking a whisky and soda before rising. P.G. Wodehouse had to eat coffee cake and read a “breakfast book” – a mystery novel. It is fascinating stuff. How someone starts their day seems to provide the perviest of insights into a person’s acumen. Nay, their soul. We take note, to see if we can launch our days as successfully as they clearly do.
Which is exactly what I did this week.
It’s really not enough any more to just point and shoot? It’s a bit, “is that ALL you know about iphone apps?” If this IS all you know, then this little rundown of apptastic iphone appendages will delight you. Play with them over the weekend.
I came across this great post on THE BEST CAMERA APPS from one of my favourite NYT writers David Pogue. Here’s the bits you want:
Time Lapse ($1) lets you create a high-definition time-lapse movie automatically while you’re away. Watch a building go up, watch a flower bloom or just see what’s been going on at home while you’re away.
Yesterday we ran a “sponsored review”. You see more of these around the web now, called sponsored posts or paid posts. I thought I’d be totally transparent about what these are about for me, here.
In a shell of a nut, they’re posts that are supported in some way – in $ or in kind – by a brand or service. The concept is derived from what’s known in magazines as “integrated advertising” (you see pages that look like editorial, but are actually an ad and usually have a banner at the top saying ‘advertisement’ or ‘promotion’). In newspapers and on TV, travel features and car reviews are mostly paid for by clients (an airline, a hotel, a tourist bureau). A line generally runs at the end: Sarah Wilson traveled with XYZ Llama Treks (or whatever). Since I’ve worked across all media, I know this dance intimately and I know how to tread the line…I’ve also seen how it is often crossed very tackily and dishonestly, especially online.
Why am I doing sponsored reviews on this blog? Two reasons
1. I’ve been writing posts six days a week now for almost two years. My blog costs money to run. A little bit of revenue will help me out. I don’t write for the money. It’s not why I started this blog. But I have rent to pay!
The other week I was lent a new Cooper bike (the same folk who make the Mini Cooper). I got my right-hand woman Jo to test-ride the three-speed Zandvoort for this sponsored review. To my mind it’s a great bike for kids out there who love the single-speed aesthetic and snappy swoopiness…but with a few gears to help you out. Over to you Jo…
(Bikes at Byron Beach – my Zandvoort with Sarah’s single- speed)
It seems a lot of people these days are keen to hook into the single speed vibe. They’re so pretty. So light. Only thing is, if you haven’t ridden a lot, or at least not for a little while (like me) then a single-speed can be hard, and a little dangerous, especially if you’re living in a hilly town.
A bike that looks like a single-speed, and is only a few kilos heavier, is the happiest of compromises. A geared bike, dressed in single-speed clothing!!
The T100 Zandvoort (which is what I rode) has a three gear twist-grip, just enough to cope with those hills, but it isn’t too heavy. It still has the agility of a single speed.
Sarah was keen for me to test the bike, because it’s the perfect solution for people like me. I trialled it in Byron Bay when I visited her. And I loved it.
I had forgotten how much I absolutely love to ride. It’s total freedom. The wind in your hair, feet up on the handlebars – the whole deal. (Ok, so I didn’t get to put my feet on the handlebars, but I remember doing that as a kid, and I’m so bringing that back!)