Rustypuppy

I’ve been retired for almost 5 years. Still working on enjoying and valuing my Time, and much better at it now. Still, takes a looong time to deprogram from decades of “productivity”.

#breathe #randomthoughts

Sitting on the patio watching the clouds build and darken.

Weather says no rain.

My massive headache says yes rain.

Neighbors are chatting loudly and playing Pink Floyd’s “Comfortably Numb” …. which is such a college song for me.

#randomthoughts #tunestr #waybackmrpeabody

From James Clear’s email newsletter.

I’ve done this for many years. When I started, I thought it would be easy: whatever I don’t like, think of the opposite because I must like that.

Not always true, and coming up with the words (or images) for what truly mattered to me sometimes took effort…. along with some quiet time to sit and think and feel without interruption to process whatever came up.

Maybe that’s why it’s so easy for some folks to talk so loudly about what they’re against. Because they don’t have (or won’t make) time for the quiet time needed to find out and understand what they love.

#randomthoughts #jamesclear #quote

GM! My red oak in the backyard is all fuzzy now. Another week and it’ll drop all of that and achieve its leafy canopy for the year.

It’s fun seeing the seasons progress.

And a reminder that this Spring is the same as last year and a once in a lifetime experience.

#treestr #spring #randomthoughts #mementomori #gm

So … turns out the Internet outage we experienced was due to the tree service damaging the cable when they cleared out the backyard.

Tech guy fixed the problem yesterday with a temporary cable and the dig crew came to bury it today… and we still have internet access. 🎉

Overall, things worked out great… it just feels like it’s been a long week. 😅

#randomthoughts #life #tothestarsthroughexasperation https://i.nostr.build/MLoyITsusZ4opjWT.jpg

Smart: setting 2 alarms to make sure you get up early

Wisdom: turning off those 2 early alarms on days you can sleep in

GN!

#randomthoughts #gn https://i.nostr.build/8waQ9C0xgRMJCd56.jpg

Pineapple is like the glitter of fruits- no matter how carefully you handle it, sticky gets everywhere. #randomthoughts #fruit #foodstr https://i.nostr.build/XSrJ6Lx7P5dta5cX.jpg

I’ve always preferred Do First, Share Later.

So much self-promotion advice to help creatives gain an audience so you can sell your art/writing/creative work revolves around social media and the need for constant content to feed the algorithms.

Putting in all that promotion work of what you plan to do (and the constant feedback on something that’s not in its final form) AND doing the actual creative work gets exhausting. Also, if the feedback is negative, you can question what you’re doing and possibly abandon something wonderful.

Yet another reason I love Nostr - so many posts are sharing what folks have Done. 💜

#proofofwork #randomthoughts #nostronly

First day of the rest of my Life (again).

On this side of the Hill, there’s likely less days ahead of me than behind me. Makes my awareness of each day more valuable. I don’t always achieve what I want to do, but I have no regrets and I keep trying.

#randomthoughts #2025 #newyear #lifeover50 https://i.nostr.build/PPnRHgH2pj5dD15X.jpg

Today my Nostr account was followed and DMed by a fake Carla AND a fake Lyn Alden. Wonder if there’ll be a hat trick before this time tomorrow….

#randomthoughts #fakenews https://i.nostr.build/hVdXqo4oQWnLBkW8.jpg

From James Clear’s email newsletter.

I like maintaining my weight and still eating treats, therefore I exercise. 👣

I like looking at the final artwork I create, therefore I art a little bit each day. 🖌️🎨

I like not feeling tired and dragging through the day, therefore I ignore all 5 am/wake up early advice and stay up until 2-3 am and sleep in until 10 am because that’s my personal energy rhythm. 🦉

#randomthoughts #advice #youdoyou https://i.nostr.build/xxmuFHjvGTEVlvUQ.jpg

Sharing Past Art…

What would you do with your time if you didn’t need money or attention?

#art #artstr #rustypuppyart #mixedmedia #randomthoughts https://i.nostr.build/3u60W82DxtmR5PfE.jpg

TL;DR - I processed a lot of fiat world stuff yesterday and this article by Ryan Holiday resonated with me: https://ryanholiday.net/please-dont-do-this-to-yourself/

LONG PART: I refer to my fiat mine days as Life 1.0 and now, after retirement, as Life 2.0.

I’ve been retire for a few years. I’ve made progress in deprogramming myself from a lot of Life 1.0 thinking and behaviors. That also means I’ve reached the point of dealing with the really ingrained stuff … like any project (art or writing) should, ultimately, end up with something to sell, and when it doesn’t, I feel guilty that I’ve “wasted my time.” I also feel anxious about starting a new project, given the assumption it has to produce something that will result in a “product” people will pay for.

I sat and worked with that for a few hours yesterday. Lots of notes and a few Kleenex. It’s a weird feeling, processing thoughts and emotions, cracking shells you didn’t realize you were living in.

End was result was clarity on 2 points …

1. Doing something without the end result of “something to sell” is still a work in progress for me (30 years of programming takes time and effort to undo). Nostr definitely helps with this, as I can share what I create here. Maybe I get sats; maybe not, but I believe sharing my art and writing here has a greater impact because there is so much less noise here that even a little signal like mine can reach someone and possible mean something to them. Which is why all the writing I’ve been keeping for “selling someday” will be coming out here, #nostronly, in 2025. 💜

2. “Waste of time” is a judgement; an evaluation determined by this inner productivity manager I have. I’ve never felt I had an “inner critic” about my art or writing, but apparently this other voice is just as demanding. I have a friend who swam with whales and drift raced down an incredible mountain road. I don’t consider those a “waste of time” - I think they are incredible experiences and I’m glad she has them. If I sit and swatch 50 watercolor paints, some could judge that it’s not as a great an experience as swimming with whales, but that’s their comparison/evaluation/judgement based on how they would use their time; that there’s something better to do. Well, “better” is another judgement. And that inner productivity manager is just another someone else; someone I don’t need to listen to any more because the rules of Life 1.0 do not apply to my Life 2.0.

#randomthoughts #innerwork #processing #life #retirement #fiat #rustypuppythoughts #writing #art #artstr https://i.nostr.build/3tqGr8aXmexjU6X2.jpg