Are you as shocked as I am that we’re nearly halfway through the year?!
I’ve got Summer on my brain and am looking forward to all of those May flowers that are supposed to be heading our way soon.
We’ve been working outside in the yard, getting out for mini adventures and finally riding bikes again, woohoo! And also trying to prioritize morning (and pre-dinner) dance parties because I think there’s a lot of truth in this song . . .
My grandpa, he's 95
And he keeps on dancing
He's still alive
My grandma, she's 92
She loves to dance
And sing some, too
I don't know
But I've been told
If you keep on dancing
You'll never grow old
In the Kitchen
Things are about to get controversial.
I’ve always been team chocolate (always and forever amen). But this recipe for Chocolate ‘chipless’ cookies is making me question everything I know. If you need me, I’ll be in the kitchen this week conducting research.
And also making these spaghetti squash and chickpea meatballs because balance. This za’atar chicken will probably make an appearance as well.
A Good Cause
We don’t have any pets. Unless you count chickens which I guess technically pets but they also pay their room and board in the form of eggs so it feels different ?
But we do have an adopted rat named Carolina and an adopted dog named Gizmo.
Gizmo and Carolina are part of APOPO’s HeroRATs and HeroDOGs crew, and they both have very important jobs.
Gizmo helps speed up the process of detecting and safely removing landmines from countries still suffering from these remnants of war. I first learned about the devastating effects of landmines when I had the opportunity to do some aid work in Cambodia in college.
Here are some of the not so fun facts:
• An estimated 110 million landmines remain buried across more than 60 countries.
• The cost of removing a single mine can be as high as $1,000, making the total clearance cost astronomically high.
• Despite their small size, landmines have a massive, often devastating impact on individuals and communities, injuring or killing nearly 5,000 people annually.
Carolina helps improve detection rates of Tuberculosis. In as little as 20 minutes a A heroRat can check the same number of sputum samples for TB as would take a lab technician around 4 days.
TB is the biggest global killer from an infectious disease after COVID-19. Globally, there were around 10.6 million (!!) new cases of tuberculosis per year and around 1.3 million people died from the disease in 2022. Early and accurate detection is important to help stop the spread of disease and get people the treatment they need.
There are a lot of great organizations doing really good things in the world.
Last month I shared about how much I love the work they do at charity:water and had a lot of questions, so I thought I’d let you know about APOPO too, as they are also doing really important work. I really like that both organizations have fun ways to get kids involved and allow you to follow the journey to see the impact your dollars are making.
Food for Thought
I found this interview with Austin Kleon and writer Mary Ruefle fascinating. Their correspondence was entirely conducted by typewriter and snail mail as Ruefle doesn’t use a computer.
Which actually makes a whole lot of sense given that the internet isn’t fun anymore.
And serves as the perfect segue into the benefits of nature for our physical and psychological wellbeing. A very long list. Not that we really needed the research, but it’s still a good argument to incorporate more “nature breaks” into our days.
But, it’s not all bad out there.
Red carpet for strangers in Belfast #inspiringbelfast
In My Headphones
Yes, the old school wired ones.
Because sometimes I’m a slow adopter and I really don’t want one more thing that I have to remember to charge.
This interview on How Bad Therapy Ruined a Generation is a bit controversial, but I found it super interesting.
And speaking of therapy, I revisited this book recently and really enjoyed it!
Any great books or podcasts you’ve listened to lately?
xx,
Ashley
P.S. Here’s a daily dose of cuteness. You’re welcome.