A Photo and a Phrase

Two Small Moments to Ponder (Day 75)

Two completely unrelated things happened to me yesterday, neither worthy of a whole story, but together they make for a pleasant interlude on this holiday day.

First, I discovered the above beautiful picture in a 1918 volume of “The Catskills” by famed travelogue writer T. Morris Longstreth. The image is titled Knapsack and Shoe-Leather by photographer William F. Kriebel.

Longstreth’s book is a lovely meandering reflection on that area in New York where I’ll be spending quite a bit of time visiting this spring as I complete my research for my upcoming Falcon Guides book on NY State Fire Towers. His writing is charming and cutting at the same time. One of my favorite sentences is when he enters Woodstock for the first time. He writes, “The village of Woodstock is the sort of charming, delicious place that a guide book would call a community, the inhabitants a town and New Yorkers a spot.” Good stuff!

The other thing I wanted to mention was a phrase I heard yesterday on NPR’s Hidden Brain that really stuck with me - Get your butterflies into formation.

In other words, you might be nervous or even scared about something you need to do, but use that fear - your butterflies - to work with you. Not, suck it up. Not, you got this. Not, don’t be afraid.

Rather, what you’re about to do is scary. Keep the fear. Use it. Recalibrate your brain, adjust your expectations.

I like it. Has there been a time in your life when you needed to get your butterflies into formation? We’d be interested in hearing about it.

Till tomorrow, enjoy your day today, keep MLK, Jr. in mind, and be kind. Onward!