My mom used to say this to me when I first got my driving permit in New Jersey. Even when it was 35 mph, she would still throw this line at me, and I still tease her about it (especially now that my little brother just got his permit).
The funny thing is, I really do think the speed limit is just a suggestion. It used to annoy me when I was 16, but now I get it - and not just on the roads. My neighborhood has a speed limit of who knows what (it's an old country back road, so you can pretty much go upwards of 55 if you want), and I watch people fly down it every day. Of course, I have to drive this road to get to my house, but I also run down it. The speed limit is a joke to me, and not because it holds me back, but because it's way too fast.
I'd rather slowly jog by the winding creek that flows next to and under the road as you meander down it and see the butterflies (whose populations are HUGE this year thanks to the winter snow) resting on the grass that hangs over the water.
I'd rather run next to the yearlings (deer) while they casually leap in the corn fields by the road.
I'd even rather run - actually sprint - by the skunk hole because sometimes, the momma comes out with her stinky babies. And despite the fact that their smell is rancid on my dogs (fun times), it is quite incredible and thrilling to run by such an allusive animal.
I see beauty when I treat the speed limit as a suggestion; I see things you only see in pictures. I find new patches of wild raspberries and blackberries every year so Zach can pick them for us (I like to search and find, he's more brave and willing to climb a cliff to get to them).
And so, when I was running yesterday, and several cars whizzed by me, I decided that I was the lucky one. I could see the art that nature produced while those drivers only focused on the twists and turns of the road (and hopefully on avoiding runners like me).
Then, I decided that my life needs to start being about ignoring the speed limit, and slowing down. After a year of teaching that felt like a constant battle of "when is Friday?", I decided to make my life interesting....and slow.
My suggestion? It's not that I think I'm right, but there is a peacefulness to a slow life. You see details you would've otherwise missed. So, walk with me.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
The Sociology of It All
In my first go around in school, I majored in (and fell in love with) Sociology. I once described it to someone as the scientific use of opinion. (To which he quickly began to argue with, but I still stand by my description). The cool thing about Sociology, compared with other sciences, is not that it's ALL opinion, but rather that you can formulate your own theory about how and why our society works the way it does using scientific reasoning and hard data.
For instance, in college, I was quite obsessed with gender issues, especially in the corporate workplace. To make a long story short, I pulled together various studies, spanning many decades, coupled with my own data taken from an unnamed corporation, and found that, yes, corporations USED to be about the lack of emotion, but now emotion is necessary. Not only that, there was some evidence suggesting that women are better at the use of emotion, which could (with further research) imply that women are going to take over the world (okay, I took that last conclusion too far, but wouldn't it be nice?)
Having said all of this, it makes me wonder what our values are when it comes to the environment. While watching 11th Hour (great movie, check it out), the point came up that we are a society of consumption. This struck a chord with me because of my previous interest in corporations - I focused more on the logical, unemotional obsession of the corporate world, this movie brought up the "buy buy buy!" obsession of the corporate world.
What's the overlap? Where do these two ideas come together? We aren't separate from the "corporate world" - we ARE the corporate world. We live our lives seeing emotion as irrational, and useless, valuing, rather, money, profits, and growth.
With my blinders on, the only casualty I took note of was the female population - although my research suggested more of an acceptance of women in the workplace as compared to, say, 20-30 years ago, women were still outsiders because of their emotions. But I failed to see that our environment was also taking a hit.
Look, I'm no dummy; I've said it before: There has to be some kind of economic sustainability in any healthy nation. But not at the cost of the world around it. I'm not trying to say that we should halt our lives and revert back to the days of the Native Americans (although the world would be much happier with us if we did), because that's impossible.
I'm just saying that we need to begin to shift our values. Richard Dawkins came up with this notion that just like biology, we pass on cultural traits that gradually change over time because of our slight differences when interpreting the world around us. There seems to be a element of choice here. Just like I like my men tall and athletic - so that I can produce a team of basketball players when I have children (seriously), I am choosing to value the environment so that hopefully people around me will see the example I set and pass it along.
YOU interpret your world, but you are also affected by those around you; BUT you also affect those around you. Take the power you have, and lead by example. One small change can quickly impact the world around you.
For instance, in college, I was quite obsessed with gender issues, especially in the corporate workplace. To make a long story short, I pulled together various studies, spanning many decades, coupled with my own data taken from an unnamed corporation, and found that, yes, corporations USED to be about the lack of emotion, but now emotion is necessary. Not only that, there was some evidence suggesting that women are better at the use of emotion, which could (with further research) imply that women are going to take over the world (okay, I took that last conclusion too far, but wouldn't it be nice?)
Having said all of this, it makes me wonder what our values are when it comes to the environment. While watching 11th Hour (great movie, check it out), the point came up that we are a society of consumption. This struck a chord with me because of my previous interest in corporations - I focused more on the logical, unemotional obsession of the corporate world, this movie brought up the "buy buy buy!" obsession of the corporate world.
What's the overlap? Where do these two ideas come together? We aren't separate from the "corporate world" - we ARE the corporate world. We live our lives seeing emotion as irrational, and useless, valuing, rather, money, profits, and growth.
With my blinders on, the only casualty I took note of was the female population - although my research suggested more of an acceptance of women in the workplace as compared to, say, 20-30 years ago, women were still outsiders because of their emotions. But I failed to see that our environment was also taking a hit.
Look, I'm no dummy; I've said it before: There has to be some kind of economic sustainability in any healthy nation. But not at the cost of the world around it. I'm not trying to say that we should halt our lives and revert back to the days of the Native Americans (although the world would be much happier with us if we did), because that's impossible.
I'm just saying that we need to begin to shift our values. Richard Dawkins came up with this notion that just like biology, we pass on cultural traits that gradually change over time because of our slight differences when interpreting the world around us. There seems to be a element of choice here. Just like I like my men tall and athletic - so that I can produce a team of basketball players when I have children (seriously), I am choosing to value the environment so that hopefully people around me will see the example I set and pass it along.
YOU interpret your world, but you are also affected by those around you; BUT you also affect those around you. Take the power you have, and lead by example. One small change can quickly impact the world around you.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Green Beer
No, I haven't forgotten the date for St. Patrick's Day (my last name's McNally, I'm well aware of the timing of that special holiday). I'm talking about some fun I had with three friends this past Friday.
I had appealed to one of my friends who brews fantastic beer at home to allow me to purchase some from her in an effort to reduce the carbon footprint of my "occasional" drinking nights (hey, it's summer, and I'm off...there's nothing wrong with having some fun).
She decided to take it even farther and start a "Ladies' Brewing Co-op", inviting many females to brew at her house and chip in on not only the money and work, but also the rewards.
I'm so impressed with how it turned out - there weren't too many people there, just me and three great friends, but our gracious hostess taught us some cool stuff about brewing. I learned that timing is everything :)
The coolest part about all of this is just how green our beer is (even though it may turn out red). All supplies were bought at a local store, and even the honey we added was locally produced (I'm talking, produced in the SAME town I live in).
I think it's really cool we could do this, and this post is more to thank my friend for not only saying yes to helping me buy locally brewed beer, but also for making an event out of it.
Latest update from the fermenting beer? "We have extremely happy yeast."
(I'll let you know how it tastes very soon).
I had appealed to one of my friends who brews fantastic beer at home to allow me to purchase some from her in an effort to reduce the carbon footprint of my "occasional" drinking nights (hey, it's summer, and I'm off...there's nothing wrong with having some fun).
She decided to take it even farther and start a "Ladies' Brewing Co-op", inviting many females to brew at her house and chip in on not only the money and work, but also the rewards.
I'm so impressed with how it turned out - there weren't too many people there, just me and three great friends, but our gracious hostess taught us some cool stuff about brewing. I learned that timing is everything :)
The coolest part about all of this is just how green our beer is (even though it may turn out red). All supplies were bought at a local store, and even the honey we added was locally produced (I'm talking, produced in the SAME town I live in).
I think it's really cool we could do this, and this post is more to thank my friend for not only saying yes to helping me buy locally brewed beer, but also for making an event out of it.
Latest update from the fermenting beer? "We have extremely happy yeast."
(I'll let you know how it tastes very soon).
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