Mental Post-Its

Thoughts, Notes, and General Mental Mayhem

Author Archives: kristiporter


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2013 Reading List

books

It was a great year for reading! I’ve already made it through 44 books this year, which is double last year’s reach of 22 books. I’m pretty proud! By the time I finish this year, I’ll hit 47. It’s by far a personal record. If I had a gold star, I’d give it to myself. 😉

And just so we’re clear, by reading I mean listening. I get through almost all of my books via Audible.com. It’s fantastic, especially if you have a long commute like I do. Highly recommend. It takes a little getting used to, especially if you are not typically an auditory learner. So, yes, there is plenty of tuning out and rewinding in the beginning. But now that I’m used to it, I love it. It makes car time so much better.

An interesting trend for me this year was fiction. I don’t generally read much fiction. Because I really don’t like to read, I typically read nonfiction in order to learn. It’s more of a means to an end because I like learning. But this year, I sort of got hooked on fiction books. And I already have several more planned to begin 2014, namely the Divergent series since the movie looks good.

Without further adieu, here’s what got my attention this year:

I’m currently listening to The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkein since the second movie comes out next week. And then, I have two Advent books I’m trying to get through before the end of the year: Advent Conspiracy by Rick McKinley, Chris Seay and Greg Holder and God is in the Manger by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. I think these three will be an excellent way to finish out the year.

Did you read any good books this year?

What should I put on my list for next year?

 

(Note: Amazon links are affiliate links.)


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December Atlanta Events

451615559Wow—the holidays are here again! I know we all say this every year, but 12 months flew by way too fast. Here we are, on the day after Thanksgiving, and pretty soon the pumpkins will be replaced with snowmen (if they haven’t been already).

While we are out enjoying the last days of 2013, let’s make them count. There are so many fantastic things to do and see, and more importantly, people to spend time with.

Make this December one to be remembered. But, okay, don’t forget to Instagram the photos while you’re at it. 😉


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Happy Thanksgiving

Screen Shot 2013-11-24 at 9.40.41 PMHAPPY THANKSGIVING!

I know we’ll all soon be swept up in the twinkling lights of December. And the annual making our lists and checking them twice routine will commence. But before that sets in and you rush off to a Black Friday sale, please take time to really be thankful. Count your blessings. Make that the list you check twice.

It’s so easy to bypass Thanksgiving on our way to more merry and bright holidays, but it’s a great time to pause and reflect. Whatever you’re doing, I hope you are spending today with people who make you more grateful. Whether your Thanksgiving is with family, friends, or even strangers, we all have something to be grateful for. Let’s all do a better job reminding each other of that, instead of worrying about our wants or stressing about our stuff. Let’s be good stewards of what we have, both possessions and relationships.

Give thanks today.

Give thanks tomorrow.

Give thanks every day—the turkey won’t mind.


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Shopping vs. Giving

136159002A few months ago I read Pursuing Justice by Ken Wytsma. I wasn’t expecting the book that it turned out to be, but it was still very good. It sort of turned out to be a Bible study on justice. I would definitely recommend it, and not just for those passionate about the issue like me, but even for the mildly curious. I learned a lot and will be marinating on it for a long time to come.

There were a few things mentioned in the book that stuck with me, but none more than what I wanted to share with you now. Did you know that it costs approximately $21 billion to get clean, safe drinking water to everyone in the world? If you weren’t aware, almost 1 in 7 of the world’s population doesn’t have access to this most basic need. $21 billion. I know, right, it sounds like a lot—like a whole lot! It sounds like scratching our heads and calling summits and raising money and finally reconciling ourselves to the fact that $21 billion is impossible to find in a world drowning in debt. Sometimes it sounds like giving up.

And then I found out…

The National Retail Federation estimates that over $600 BILLION will be spent in November and December this year. I’m sorry, what? That’s just this season. When I think about it, that makes me sick. In fact, the contrast in those two numbers has literally haunted me since I’ve read the book.

I think about people I know that rush around trying to buy gifts, any kind of gifts, for the people on their Christmas list. Mostly those are close family and friends, but usually there’s at least one obligatory gift on there as well. I think of gifts that aren’t bought out of need, but out of courtesy. I think of the stress so many people feel when it comes to the holidays. It seems to be more about putting anything under the tree that caring about what it is, as long as you’ve checked that box.

Something. Has. To. Change.

I love the holidays. I love the chill in the air, and the warm drinks. I love watching Christmas movies. I love decorating my apartment. I love seeing twinkle lights go up everywhere. And I love buying gifts. Gift giving is one of my love languages. It makes me happy to see the look on people’s face when I give them a gift. In fact, the anticipation of seeing their faces when I give them the gift makes me happy! I have always tried very hard, whether it’s a birthday or Christmas, to find the perfect gift that will make the recipient smile. It’s a challenge that I relish.

And, if I do say so myself, I’m pretty good at it. But the last few years, ever since pursing justice myself and learning more about supply chain and slave labor, I’ve tried to challenge myself in a new way. I try very hard to find not only gifts of meaning, but gifts that do good or do not perpetuate slave labor. I’m also an environmentalist, so I try to cut down on packaging and reuse when possible. So, really, I thought I could pat myself on the back from up on my high horse—until I read those statistics.

Now I’m trying to figure out how to do more. I can’t completely give up gift-giving, because I love it so much, but there is more I can do. For one thing, I can help educate you. What if we all started buying differently? What if we started contributing more and consuming less? What if we took a hard look at the real difference between shopping and giving? What if the presents had real meaning, not just for the recipient you know, but those who created it or will benefit from the purchase? What if?

Here is an awesome video by Advent Conspiracy to help illustrate. In fact, they have a lot of great personal and church resources to help you explore this idea. I’m looking forward to reading their book this season.

As I said, I don’t have this all figured out, but I’m trying. I want to contribute, not just consume. I want buy better and think better and live better. And even more, I want that for everyone else. I want it for you, and those you know, and those around the world who don’t have clean water or adequate shelter or who live in fear. We all share this world.

The holidays are a season of hope. Hope, joy, peace—we see those words written on everything this time of year from cards to commercials. What if they weren’t just platitudes? What if we added those to our Christmas list? What if, when we started buying gifts, we kept those three words in mind? Will the things we buy this season promote hope or joy or peace? If not, then let’s not buy them. Find a better alternative. I bet there’s one out there.

Here are a few places to help you get started:

Purchase with Purpose

Free2Work

Not For Sale Store

Better World Shopper

Greater Good

Free to Shop

World Vision Gift Catalog

Fair Trade USA

Ten Thousand Villages

Charity Water

Kiva

Living Water International

International Justice Mission Gift Catalog

There are so many more, though, so keep looking! And if you need to go the department store route, you could even institute your own TOMS-esque one for one model. For example, if you give someone a shirt, donate one as well. Challenge each other to be better, think creatively and give more.

Give gifts that tell stories, and write yourself a new one in the process.

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And here’s a great article from the TODAY Show about families who try to put more meaning into gifts and the holidays.

Here is another from LearnVest, a money budgeting site if you’re looking for a more frugal point-of-view.

One more from journalist/activist, Nick Kristoff, whom I greatly admire.


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TEDxPeachtree Highlights

TEDxPTG+BlackWell, it finally arrived—my last conference of the year. It was fun to make a Tedx event the last of my 2013 rounds. I’ve never attended one of these before, and was really looking forward to it. I’d still love to make it to the mother ship one day, but for now this will do.

TEDxPeachtree wasn’t dissimilar from other conferences I attended, which I think I was expecting it to be, but it was a lot of fun nonetheless. There were a few speakers I was familiar with, but most of them were new to me which I enjoy.

Here are a few little gems I pulled from the Atlanta TED Talks:

Jeff Shinabarger, Activist Philanthropist

  • We will be known by the problems we solve.
  • To give generously is to give freely with nothing expected in return.
  • Define for yourself what is enough. (want vs. need)
  • Sometimes we don’t need more gifts. Sometimes we need each others presence.
  • Everyone has something to give.

Rashid Nuri, Urban Farmer

  • Know who grows your food.
  • Quality food is the most important factor in being healthy.
  • We eat 31% more packaged food than fresh food. We are a sick country.
  • The soil is the solution.
  • There is no culture without agriculture.
  • Quality food is a right.
  • Urban agriculture could be the solution to universal healthcare.

Rossin, Portrait Artist

  • Grace is the answer. Everything else is second best.
  • Kindness is the all-seeing eye of the soul.
  • You paint your portrait on your surroundings.

Nathan Sawaya, Brick Artist

  • You don’t have to build what’s on the front of the box.

Aurora Robson, Activist Artist

  • Waste is displaced abundance.
  • It’s easy to ignore a problem you can’t see.

Marshall Seese Jr., Music Making Entrepreneur

  • Freedom + Constraints = Empowerment
  • Constraints prevent you from being overwhelmed.

Mark Riedl, A.I. Researcher

  • If you aren’t scared of failure, you aren’t working on the right problem.
  • Innovation requires both the idea and the implementation.
  • Creativity builds society.

Wanda Hopkins-McClure, Educator and Silo-Buster

  • Innovation in education will happen one teacher, one student, one classroom at a time.
  • Great teachers encourage you to risk and fail.
  • Great teachers encourage you to think about who you are.

Daphne Greenberg, Adult Literacy Advocate

  • Acknowledging our medley of voices brings us one step closer to an inclusive society.
  • 1 in 6 adults reads at an elementary level.
  • This epidemic affects us all. (Healthcare, economy, interaction, etc.)
  • People develop amazing coping skills.
  • Adult literacy is a social justice.
  • A determinant of a child’s success in school is dependent on the mother’s reading skills.

Mary Frances Bowley, Healer and Guardian

  • We can’t sit here anymore and watch the bullies steal the childhood of our daughters.
  • In Atlanta, 100 girls are sold for sex every night.
  • 37-55 is the average age of a john.
  • The way we order food at a restaurant is the way a john orders a girl.
  • Protecting and restoring is the way to end trafficking.

Lisa Earle McLeod, Author

  • It’s not our truths that cause problems, it is our belief in their exclusivity.
  • Compromise is the problem, not the solution. You miss seeing what is possible.
  • Whenever we get stressed, we tend to default.
  • Find your Noble Purpose. It’s your North Star. Use it as your filter.

Neale Martin, Author

  • If you want to change your life, you must change your habits.
  • It’s not enough to be inspired.
  • Discipline changes behavior.
  • Disrupt the old habit. Create a new habit. Create a powerful reinforcement. Repeat it until it feels normal.

 

Well, that’s a wrap. I did a lot of learning this year, and hope to continue that tradition in 2014. Until then, it’s back to my Netflix queue. 😉