HUMP List #1

A quick post when the longer one isn't ready yet

Hello Friends,

It’s been a week where something I planned to share isn’t quite ready and I think we all need a bit of a distraction from world events. I’m offering a collection of small things (a mini picnic basket) I’ve come across that may not be worth sharing, and yet I’m sharing them, nonetheless. 

You may already know that I love acronyms and I love lists, right? So this a HUMP list, where I can get over my real life brick wall to offer you a few snacks until the masterpiece-in-hiding comes together.

Humbling:

I was touched reading this story about a community newspaper and its coverage of the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas in 2022. A great community newspaper, physical or online, is a rarity.

On the other hand, should we even be reading news at the moment? I find it’s times like these when we should be very selective. Or just switch off.

Uplifting:

I re-watched the classic 1965 film, The Sound of Music. I noticed:

• The script is funnier than I remember with lots of double-meaning

• The nuns in the abbey surely inspired “Sister Act”?

• I have had the pleasure of interviewing two people from the film [Sadly neither interview is online]. One was Julie Andrews (Maria) and the other was Nicholas Hammond who played Friedrich von Trapp.

Mind-boggling:

In preparation for the next episode of Forget-Me-Not - How We Memorialise with

Peter Billingham

I’ve been reading up - and listening to - eulogies!

There’s such a variety of styles, and ways to frame this very personal life story. I would love your help on this one. Can you tell me, what’s the magic of a final story for you?

Philosophical:

I’ve been reading Deborah Tannen’s classic That’s Not What I Meant! which you wouldn’t find in the philosophy section of a bookshop, but it certainly has me thinking. Have you ever wondered why a simple conversation with someone you know well, goes wrong? In this wonderful book which was first published in 1986, Professor Tannen expands on her theory of the meta message and why we need to read room and not just listen to the words of any conversation.

So much good stuff in her writing.

Friends, sorry for the randomness of this, but I hope to have more concrete for you next time. As always I love to hear from you.