If a bird falls in love with a fish, where do they live? I saw that question in an essay not too long ago, and it's really stuck with me 'cause the writer's answer was pretty harsh, in a quiet way. The bird just isn't made for water, right? And the fish? Not built for the sky. So, they keep meeting halfway, totally smitten, but both slowly drowning, both pretending it doesn't hurt. Everyone usually reads that as a story about relationships. But hang with me for a sec, 'cause I think it's actually about all those places you've ever tried to fit in. Like that job where you're basically shrinking yourself to belong, or that city everyone raves about but you just don't get, or even a room where you practice being someone else before you even walk in. We keep asking, "What's up with the fish? Why's it so slow? Why's it wiped out? Why can't it just fly?" And nobody even thinks about the water. 'Cause a fish on land looks totally messed up until you just put it back in its element. That same creature that was flopping around on the sand suddenly becomes unstoppable. So, maybe the real question isn't whether you're good enough. Maybe it's whether you can actually breathe where you are. If you've been struggling somewhere for a really long time, before you go changing yourself, seriously, check your surroundings.
Woke police here. Most women sit like this because car seats, seat belts and the entire structure of cars aren’t designed to fit or accommodate the female anatomy. They’re optimized for male bodies, & yes that includes airbags
But do you know who still gets into more accidents?
she wrote the code for apollo 11 back when PROGRAMMING DIDNT EXIST!! she literally invented modern software engineering on the fly for this!!
AND that software was so well written it saved the lives of all the astronauts during a landing failure, literally winning the space race
We are slowly removing coincidence out of our lives. We don't pick a restaurant before even checking the ratings. We don't hear music before the algorithm ever predicts we'll like it. We don't even take a route before maps removes the wrong turn. Barely meet someone even before checking their profile. And none of that is necessarily bad. But that's what makes it interesting because every tool nowadays removes every tiny bit of uncertainty, but uncertainty is where a lot of your favorite memories came from. The place you found by accident, the friend you met because the plans changed. The street you weren't supposed to be on that ended up having the best restaurant you've ever been to. We've optimized our life so well to the point where nothing unexpected ever has room to even happen and a life with no accidents is easier to manage, but it's just harder to remember.
princess treatment was never really about getting everything you ask for. it’s about being with a man who listens to you, protects you, communicates with you, leads with humility, and cares about how you feel. a man who doesn’t leave you crying yourself to sleep or make you question whether you’re difficult to love. someone whose presence brings peace when life feels chaotic. someone who feels like home.
Last night a girl told me she pays attention to whether the people she dates nurture anything in their lives, like a plant, a pet, a project. It’s useful evidence that someone can sustain care over time. Relationships are also living things that need tending
I once talked to a Pixar executive and she told me she only joined Pixar was because she realized the power of media in shaping the world was truly enormous
More than her working in Peace Corps prior
And I can confidently attest growing up with Pixar redefined the definition of being a man, in a positive way
Pixar storytellers are truly a force of nature and have had more impact on shaping culture and social norms for Gen Z than most people realize
I am constantly fascinated by the genius of Brad Bird, Ed Catmull and many others in the "braintrust" of Pixar.
Even Steve Jobs who was usually a micromanager stayed completely away from the ways of Ed Catmull managing the company of storytellers because Jobs knew he wasn't the best person to manage Pixar creatives compared to Apple.
Truly a generational company case study. I highly recommend all creatives to give a read to Creativity Inc and the YouTube lesson posted by Michael Arndt on the making of the story of Toy Story 3. (linking below)
Sometimes the point of the trip is to eat something good, stare at a body of water, and remember who tf you are.
You don't always have to have a jam-packed itinerary!
Underrated life advice: Keep proof that good things happen to you. Old photos. Kind messages. Positive feedback. Notes from great days. Whatever. Store them in a single place. Call it a Rainy Day Folder. Pop it open on a bad day and watch your mood turn. It's a free reset button.