Orienting to North
If you’re in the northern hemisphere, there are three ways to find north:
- Identify the Big Dipper
The two stars that form the front “lip” of the Big Dipper point to the North Star. - Look for moss
If you carefully inspect land, trees, plants and other features (big rocks, buildings, etc.) you can notice a difference in moss, mold and other vegetation growth on the north side. This side gets less sunlight and thus slightly higher moisture levels. Species that thrive in low-light, high-moisture environments, like mosses, lichens, and other similar species can help identify the north side of objects in nature. - Just use your phone
Yeah I know. You expected something spectacular. If you’re unwilling or unable to use the first two strategies to find north, you can probably just use your phone’s compass. Or a map app.
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Home Depot chaos perspective story
I decided to have an expert set the base for the shower. We have a tenant moving in later this week and I chose certainty over gaining experience.
So there we were at Home Depot, as a family, and what happens? A semi taking a corner and an impatient guy in a Jeep collided at the only way in and out of the parking lot. Cops, firetruck, ambulance, everyone showed up. And no one could get in or out of the lot..for an undetermined amount of time. We were………less than stoked.
Until my wife had a genius idea. My son loves firetrucks. And police cars. And ambulances! So instead of waiting impatiently in the car, complaining about the holdup, we all just walked over and watched the incident unfold. Our son got to meet a fireman, a fire chief and a policewoman, and he got to sit in a police cruiser.
In the end it was all about perspective. We could have been miserable but instead we decided to make a whole afternoon experience, completely unplanned (and in the rain). My wife saved the day.
Distractions from life.
Money and infatuation are two of the only things that can make a person feel like their life is all together, even if it’s actually falling apart. I’ve known too many fools doing anything for what they think is love while neglecting their purpose, and too many wealthy people miserable in their personal lives, to believe that money or love alone can set you on the right track in life. They’re not bad; they’re just not the cornerstone upon which life’s important aspects are built.
You could probably throw in substance abuse here but that would expand this point tremendously. So I leave that for another conversation.
Bonus: Blue crab molting
Last month, for the first time caught on camera, a crab can be seen molting from its shell. Molting is an incredible process that’s completely normal for an animal quite different from us. Some crabs and other molting species must also eat the shell they shed or they will not have the right nutrient balance to grow and survive.
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