no. 22: at once chaotic and joyful 🌦
crash courses on trees, linguistic determinism, and Matisse.
Hi friends,
We tend to share interesting tidbits we come across with each other, and funnily enough, we both shared images of Koreen Odiney’s work, from the popular IG account @werenotreallystrangers. We’re not really strangers here, so this week in unsolicited life advice: you only have to make space for the things and people in your life that bring you joy 🤍
N:
Trees in Bloom
I most recently read ‘The Hidden Life of Trees’ by Peter Wohlleben, and found two main ideas I wanted to share with you this week!
Slow growth is the key to growing large and majestic trees
The older the tree, the faster it grows (counterintuitive, isn’t it?)
Sometimes I still catch myself thinking that the modern world only exists in two dimensions: things that stagnate and things that accelerate. Reading this book was a good reminder that speed and success aren’t binary concepts. If a young tree grows too quickly, it uses up too much energy. It cannot calibrate to change and fails to weather difficult storms. Like the tree, we need slowness in order to create the foundations of stability within ourselves.
Anything good in life is a result of patience and calmness rather than anger and agitation. Knowledge compounds. A healthy mind and a healthy body is built over years of small incremental changes. These are the foundations of the head and the heart.
Not all growth in life comes early. Sometimes it can be much later in our lives when we realize fundamental truths about what we have longed for, made steps towards, and completed. And at the same time, we build a deeper appreciation for all there is left to do. A turning, an uprooting, a blossoming.
With all of this being said,
“Vires Acquirit Eundo” (Latin) – we gather strength as we go.
J:
(noun) hugfanginn
The Inuit people have over 50 different words for what English speakers simply refer to as “snow”. There are specific terms for dry snow, icy snow, snow that is hard to walk on; the Inuit people even have a word to describe the specific kind of snow that is good for building igloos.
The capacity for language to draw our attention to subtleties that otherwise go unnoticed is the central idea of the Whorf-Sapir hypothesis: that language governs perception.
I was reminded about the connections between language and thought after coming across The Positive Lexicography project. It is an online database of untranslatable words relating to happiness and wellbeing, drawn from languages around the world. According to founder Dr. Tim Lomas, a positive psychologist, the project is a tool for sharpening our “emotional granularity”: the ability to identify and discuss our feelings with greater nuance.
As someone who struggles to answer the question, “How are you?”, it was entertaining to scroll through Dr. Lomas’ website and imagine ways in which I may try and repurpose these new words. These nuances in language better equip us to recognize, feel and discuss our emotions in ways that can not be articulated by a simple “good”.
Equipped with this new information, here are some moments from this past week, as told through the positive lexicography:
Hugfanginn
Icelandic; literally, “mind-captured” - to be charmed or fascinated by something or someone.
Been meeting a lot of new people recently; quickly developing many new friend crushes.
Jedna báseň
Czech; literally, “one poem” - praise , admiration for exceptional quality (esp. with regard to food), for something that gives a pleasant impression, or works exceptionally well.
An ode to my turkey muenster sandwich.
Ramé
Balinese; Something at once chaotic and joyful.
This past week, in one word.
The Phoebe Bridgers Fan Club
N:
John Brosio’s Dark Surrealism (doesn’t it remind you of Hopper?)
Writing This Felt Like One Long Exhale
I know it is Fall, but in this week’s creative writing piece, I wrote about ripeness and spring :)
I wanted to share this excerpt because it’s how I feel about you all, Kopi Family!I hope you think of this newsletter as a safe cocoon of freedom and warmth.
J:
An old graphic by @yrsadaleyward
N:
My friend picked out this meaningful quote when we FTed the other day (Thank you, A)
“Things get into our foundations and take root when we aren’t careful with them; all proximities turn into intimacies if you let them go unchecked long enough.” – Helena Fitzgerald
J:
“Spend your free time the way you like, not the way you think you're supposed to. Stay home on New Year's Eve if that's what makes you happy. Skip the committee meeting. Cross the street to avoid making aimless chit-chat with random acquaintances. Read. Cook. Run. Write a story. Make a deal with yourself that you'll attend a set number of social events in exchange for not feeling guilty when you beg off.” - Susan Cain, Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking (as per E’s recommendation)
N:
In my Modern Art History course, we are discussing Matisse’s trips to Africa. The author finds that, even as a seasoned artist, he responds to “new stimulus in a largely pre-existing language.” He cannot imitate or imbue his work with the history of the place because he’s already become accustomed to old methods.
It makes me think of all the times we approach problems with systems and habits that have worked in the past, but we cannot always rely on rigid systems to carry us through life forever. Just a reminder to adapt to our life’s varying contexts with humility and grace.
J:
Re: the turkey sandwich from earlier
The cheese pull….
Some wise words from this lil succulent.
Take care of yourselves and each other x
Hugs,
J & N