Dear Neighbor,
My mind is a blank—and yet I can’t stop thinking! Too many thoughts about too many things, all coming and going at the same time. I got up at 5 a.m. to update three grocery lists. I have some new businesses I’ve invited to join Welcome Neighbor. I wonder about what to do with my son’s 2008 Volvo wagon that has run perfectly for over ten years, now has a miss, and has been replaced by a pretty new Camry. I find my phone battery is running down too fast. I wonder where to transplant the three nasturtiums that had overgrown my hanging basket. I nag myself about rewriting press releases for my two published books and about finding the best way to sell our folding ebikes to someone who will love them as much as we have. I wonder if I’ll ever clean up my office. I think of who I’ll invite over after the heat wave passes. I’ve been thinking (like everyone) about data centers and how I heard this morning that there are experimental mini nuclear power plants being developed to power data centers. Then I thought, “Now all we still need to do is solve how they are going to use the world’s supply of water.” These thoughts!
My good friend told me this morning she has a new name for me: “Plethora.” I am well aware of what it means, and I may as well embrace that. I often am lying awake multiple times during the night, and I use the time to create and get things through the planning stage—and worry, of course. If you’re not familiar with the word, I had a little chat with Chat to discuss, and here it is:
So this is what I’m getting at. I believe we all have a version of this going on, and it’s challenging (to say the least) to be able to shut it down. A few weeks ago comedian Bill Maher had plenty to say about it. Here at least are his final few words: “Stop making me know things I don’t want to know. . .things like “The Overton Window.” I don’t ever want to know what the Overton Window is—ever. We need an app called “Disc Full.” I’m a strong believer in “I kinda get it.”
So that’s it—as our beloved chef Jacques Pepin says after every recipe he demonstrates on YouTube. Somehow we need to sort out and decide what we want to occupy our minds, and I suggest we remember that the more we engage in ideas with actual people, the more healthy our minds will stay. It is so darned tempting to simply engage in something like Reddit, which is certainly a lively community of idea mongers thrusting thoughts at you from every side, so much so that you might NEVER look up from your phone! But to keep your mental feet on the ground, it takes real discipline to purposefully ENGAGE WITH REAL PEOPLE. That means picking up the phone (not texting) and inviting someone to have an experience with you, whatever that might be.
Here, I’ll pretend I’m your coach: Start with “I’ve been thinking about you. . .” They will love you within an inch of their lives to hear those words. In fact, I heard it from someone I called this morning while on my exerbike, and those were her first words,
And my honest response was “. . .and I’ve been thinking about YOU.”
We both felt so much better.
Your Neighbor,
Anne
My mind is a blank—and yet I can’t stop thinking! Too many thoughts about too many things, all coming and going at the same time. I got up at 5 a.m. to update three grocery lists. I have some new businesses I’ve invited to join Welcome Neighbor. I wonder about what to do with my son’s 2008 Volvo wagon that has run perfectly for over ten years, now has a miss, and has been replaced by a pretty new Camry. I find my phone battery is running down too fast. I wonder where to transplant the three nasturtiums that had overgrown my hanging basket. I nag myself about rewriting press releases for my two published books and about finding the best way to sell our folding ebikes to someone who will love them as much as we have. I wonder if I’ll ever clean up my office. I think of who I’ll invite over after the heat wave passes. I’ve been thinking (like everyone) about data centers and how I heard this morning that there are experimental mini nuclear power plants being developed to power data centers. Then I thought, “Now all we still need to do is solve how they are going to use the world’s supply of water.” These thoughts!
My good friend told me this morning she has a new name for me: “Plethora.” I am well aware of what it means, and I may as well embrace that. I often am lying awake multiple times during the night, and I use the time to create and get things through the planning stage—and worry, of course. If you’re not familiar with the word, I had a little chat with Chat to discuss, and here it is:
- "Plethora" refers to an excessive amount or overabundance of something . . . where there is more than what is needed or desired. . . such as resources, information, or options.
- In modern usage, it conveys a sense of overwhelming quantity or variety.
- Synonyms include "surplus," "excess," and "glut."
So this is what I’m getting at. I believe we all have a version of this going on, and it’s challenging (to say the least) to be able to shut it down. A few weeks ago comedian Bill Maher had plenty to say about it. Here at least are his final few words: “Stop making me know things I don’t want to know. . .things like “The Overton Window.” I don’t ever want to know what the Overton Window is—ever. We need an app called “Disc Full.” I’m a strong believer in “I kinda get it.”
So that’s it—as our beloved chef Jacques Pepin says after every recipe he demonstrates on YouTube. Somehow we need to sort out and decide what we want to occupy our minds, and I suggest we remember that the more we engage in ideas with actual people, the more healthy our minds will stay. It is so darned tempting to simply engage in something like Reddit, which is certainly a lively community of idea mongers thrusting thoughts at you from every side, so much so that you might NEVER look up from your phone! But to keep your mental feet on the ground, it takes real discipline to purposefully ENGAGE WITH REAL PEOPLE. That means picking up the phone (not texting) and inviting someone to have an experience with you, whatever that might be.
Here, I’ll pretend I’m your coach: Start with “I’ve been thinking about you. . .” They will love you within an inch of their lives to hear those words. In fact, I heard it from someone I called this morning while on my exerbike, and those were her first words,
And my honest response was “. . .and I’ve been thinking about YOU.”
We both felt so much better.
Your Neighbor,
Anne
