Welcome to the end of May and the beginning of spring, or is it the middle? Who can really tell?
In the winter months, I hate how early the sun sets and the light fades from the sky. I take for granted how great it is in the spring. I enjoy the long summer nights, but I don’t think too much about the 10pm sunsets in May. This year, I want to acknowledge and appreciate the nighttime spring sky. As hard as the winter nights are, the spring nights are light and breezy.
I’ve been watching a lot of hockey this month. There’s nothing quite like the Stanley Cup playoffs. It’s especially exciting when your team has made it further than you expected! I’m not the hardcore hockey fan I once was, but I’m still a passionate Edmonton Oilers fan. And that fandom has only intensified through the playoffs. Frankly, I’m more invested in the games than I’d prefer. It’s an emotional roller coaster. But it’s fun and thrilling and doesn’t come around very often, not in my lifetime, anyway.
I was lucky enough to take in my first playoff game in person. I attended game 7 of the Flames/Stars series thanks to my good and gracious friend, Speedyjonzales! It was an enthralling experience. The energy was infectious. It’s surreal to experience the ebbs and flows of a crowd that big. I’m usually impartial to large events/crowds like that, but there is definitely something to it. Would recommend!
May Content ⚒️
✒️ Writing – Another Life (1min read) Time is relative. Pay more attention to it and it might expand.
Three value-packed things to share 🌎
I. LIST stocked full of wisdom worth considering
103 Bits of Advice I Wish I Had Known by Kevin Kelly (5 minute read)
Another year, another treasure trove gifted to us by Kevin Kelly. A mix of philosophical and practical tidbits of advice that are easy to digest. From parenting advice to tipping street performers, there is something for everyone.
I recommend starting at the bottom and working your way up.
Three valuable ideas:
- About 99% of the time, the right time is right now.
- The chief prevention against getting old is to remain astonished.
- You cant reason some one out of a notion that they didn’t reason themselves into.
II. THREAD of psychology concepts explaining why people do the things they do
40 Mind-Altering Concepts by @g_s_ghogal (Twitter)
I’ve shared a thread by this gentleman in the newsletter before. I find the concepts he highlights insightful and fascinating. The more I read, the more I understand things I see exhibited through the media and on social media. There are so many things about our world that someone, somewhere has noticed and studied closely enough to classify and categorize.
Three valuable ideas:
- Rally ‘Round The Flag Syndrome: During times of crisis, approval ratings of political leaders go up as people unify against the threat. This incentivizes unpopular leaders to exaggerate, fabricate, or even initiate crises (e.g. by starting wars).
- Firehosing: With so many competing narratives in the digital age, disinformation agents can’t convince you of any single narrative, so instead they overwhelm you with many contradictory narratives until you start to doubt everything and become confused, demoralized & passive.
- Introspection Illusion: We think we understand the real reasons why we think & act the way we do, but we think other people have little understanding of why they think & act the way they do. We assess others as if they’re psychiatric patients and ourselves as if we’re gods.
III. COMEDY SPECIAL to lighten up your life a little
Joe List’s This Year’s Material (YouTube)
Joe List is a New York City comedian. One of my favourites. I came across him in the early days of the pandemic. He had a podcast called Mindful Metal Jacket. It was all about anxiety and struggling with mental health. I appreciated his candour. He also cohosts a popular comedy podcast called Tuesday’s With Stories with Mark Normand, another of my favourites.
There’s not much philosophical or deep about this special. It’s simply an enjoyable ride with plenty of laughs along the way.
Photos of the Month 📷
I’ll leave you with a quote 🤔
“The goal of adulthood is to let go of the other possible existences and to make the best of the one. A successful adult is one who understands that it doesn’t matter which life you ultimately pick, only that you live it well.”
— Physician Chris Ballas more commonly known as The Last Psychiatrist
If you enjoyed the newsletter, do me a favour and share it with one person.
I haven’t figured out how to do one of those auto-share buttons, so you’ll need to copy and paste, like we used to before phones got so smart.
I hope you have a jovial June!
Scotty
P.S. What’s with all the grass?
Did You Enjoy This?
Subscribe to Sunday’s With ScootyDub for 3 value-packed recommendations at the end of each month. It could be a book, a video, a podcast, a website, or some form of interesting content. Subscribe below!