Category Archives: #ReadLeather

A letter to the desperate youth

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To whom it may apply:

You are not the lost generation you’ve been told you are. The cause is not lost and you are not free to dismiss the future as non-existent or futile. That is the domain of the old, to look into the face of thier own mortality and see the end of all humanity. Ignorant ego dictates it.

No, your place is to be the energetic voice of optimism. You are to see what is before you and use it well. Make the changes that you resent your elders for not doing. I dare you to be the infectious hope for the future that humanity has always needed.

You’ll be old soon enough. Then you can choose for yourself…optimism or death before you are dead.

Thank you for your time,

J.L. Munn

Old is not an age. You are old only when you give up hope of the future.  So get out there and be “young” regardless of your number of years on this earth.

Healing through stillness 🤓

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photograph by J.L. Munn

For the first time in the better part of a decade I have been able to actually use my time off from the pay check to advance my personal goals. One of the most interesting to me is that I have been finally been able to sustain 20 minute sessions of standing meditation with my husband. He does way more, but I don’t feel too bad since he’s been doing it for decades and I am just trying to start.

I’ve now successfully completed 4 days straight and am encouraged by the experience so far. I know the real test will come when my pay check starts back up and I have to compete for energy, but there are signs that I might be able to find a rhythm that allows me to continue more days than not.

I guess we’ll find out soon.

Don’t forget to play 🤓

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Having a few days off, without much pain, and managing my energy the best I have in years has had a very surprising effect on me. 

I found something I’d lost for good. I found that I still want to play, to do some things for no other reason than it makes me smile for even the briefest of moments.

Here’s to the hope that a balance can be found again! If not, here’s to taking advantage of it will it’s here!

Yo ho ho 🤓

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Photograph by J.L. Munn

A shoe is a fountain is a pirate ship! 

There is an outdoor mall not far from where I live. It is, in most respects, a typical high end mall, generic in almost every way, except for its fountain feature. 

This shoe is interesting in and of itself, but the thoughtful creativity that goes into their seasonal direction of it is always appreciated. 

This year I particularly enjoyed how perfectly their Halloween decorations managed to use the visual essence of the piece itself in a manner justifying keeping it longer. In a world where so little attention is given to meaningful details, I’m happy to be reminded that it is still possible.

Sunday Rorschaching 🤓

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I’ve never taken an official Rorschach test. I don’t really know anything about them other than the pop culture references that have been ever present throughout my life. I can’t even tell you if the Rorschach test is something that psychiatry finds particularly useful.

I do know that, in spite of the fact that I own no Rorschach test kits, I love letting my imagination free on the random “Rorschachs” that I encounter. I find it is a very easy way to check on your current well-being.

I haven’t scared myself yet. 😇

* If you want to know more about Rorschach tests, the Encyclopedia Britinnica offers a brief summary here.

Message from Home 🤓

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Photograph by S. Yeast edited by J.L. Munn

One thousand miles away from me today, there sits a huge bear made of straw with its straw pumpkin friend. 1000 miles away from me today, there is a woman who loves me enough to have shared it with me.

I don’t care how old you are. If you come from a loving home, it is never easy to be far away from loved ones. We are lucky to live in a moment where direct and instantaneous communication is possible. We should work harder to use that technology to spread our love, not our hate.

Broken radio 🥺

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Today was supposed to have been a day without work. It was supposed to be a day of relaxation and recuperation after a very intense moment. Today was not that kind of day.

In the end it wasn’t a horrible day. It was just another day. For some reason that feels somehow worse, but I can’t put my finger on exactly what it could be. 

I think as I age my rebelliousness turns its attention to apathy and waste.

Maybe I can use today’s apathy to fuel a great weekend?

Seeing red 🤓

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Photograph by J.L. Munn

Some days are easier than others. They just flow into a rhythm that gives the impression you have no responsibility in any of it. Today has not been one of those kind of days. In fact I have them rarely over the last few years. But, seeing red doesn’t always have to signify a crisis. Sometimes it can be just seeing the colors of life that just happen to be red.

Changing of the seasons 🥺

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Photograph by J.L. Munn

I think about climate change all the time. I didn’t need Greta to help me with that, but I applaud her for helping those that do. The more I see, the more I can’t help thinking that it’s funny to think that the collective of the middle and lower classes bought into the idea that we, the individuals, could some how compensate for all the damage that bad acting corporations have been doing, and continue to do, on massive scale.

This ladybug doesn’t really know anything about from where this rusting metal pole has come. It knows nothing of its impact, good or bad, on its environment. It just knows that the wind is cold today. It knows the sun is warm today. And it knows that whatever this is and no matter the chain of events that brought it here, at least for the moment, it is the only thing that can help it warm up enough to try to go about its daily business of trying to stay alive in a less than luxurious environment.

I’m glad Greta and her family have had the courage to embark on their journey. I just wish I knew more how to help them help us.