Friday Inspiration 527

redirecting toward things you love, earned grief vs. cheap cynicism, Norway fights back against crappy tech

I did not expect to get choked up watching this video about basketball player Audi Crooks and her family, but I am also not surprised. (video)

I was not the biggest Star Trek fan but damn do I love a good set of “fictional spaceship cut in half” images, in this case the USS Enterprise D.

I am once again doing what some people call “training” (for a big goal this fall) and really enjoying my time on the trails here in Missoula, which are ranging these past few weeks anywhere from dry to muddy to covered in snow and/or ice. To keep my toes from getting jacked up no matter how badly I treat them, I have been wearing and loving the Ultra Run Crew from Injinji, who is not only sponsoring this month’s newsletter, but also giving you all 20 percent off toesocks with the code SEMIRADMAR26 for one week only—here’s a link for newsletter subscribers.

You’re probably familiar with the term enshittification (if not, it’s in the dictionary now), which is kind of not in the purview of this newsletter, which is called “Friday Inspiration,” which is almost entirely made up of positive and inspiring content, because enshittification is kind of depressing. BUT, this video by the Norwegian Consumer Council is inspiring for its originality and tone, as is their quest to fight enshittification.

My Freeflow Institute Grand Canyon 2025 co-instructor Dr. Len Necefer wrote this great piece, A Letter to Those Younger Than Me, and instead of trying to sum it up in a couple sentences here, I’ll just quote my favorite part and recommend you read it: “There is a difference between earned grief and cheap cynicism. Earned grief comes from engagement. It comes from having tried, from having been in the room or on the ground or in the water, from having put something on the line and watched it not be enough. That grief is honest and I respect it and I carry a lot of it. Cheap cynicism comes from never having tried. It comes from the sideline, from the comment section, from the safe distance of someone who decided early that nothing would work and then arranged their life to prove themselves right. One is a wound. The other is a wall. Learn to tell the difference. Build your life on the wound side.”

The title of this poem, Now You Are Like a God, is perfect, and the poem itself should be required reading, as a sort of palate cleanser, for anyone who has watched TV news coverage that makes them feel that every block of every single city is a crime-ridden hellscape.

John Craigie’s new album I Swam Here popped up on my radar a month ago, and something about it just feels like an antidote to Everything Going On right now—calm, chill, a bit of reverb in the vocals. I’ve been listening to it a lot lately, as well as some of his older albums (enough to where I think Hilary is getting a little tired of it). But if that sounds good to you, here’s the new album (recommendation: start it on the second track, Fire Season).

I forget where I saw a mention of this podcast episode on The Atlantic, How To Age Up On A Warming Planet, but as someone more than a little prone to climate anxiety, last week was perfect timing (even though the episode originally published in May 2025) to hear what Sarah Ray, professor and chair of environmental studies at Cal Poly Humboldt, had to say about staying sane in an uncertain world. To paraphrase (but you should really listen to her say it in more detail): make sure you’re getting together with your community/neighbors, and redirect your attention to the things (and people) you love. [GIFT LINK]

Also: I got to interview my Trailhead co-host, journalist (and standup comedian) Zoë Rom on My Favorite Things this week, and we talked about Nathaniel Russel's art and flyers, as well as Blalock’s Indie Rock Playlist, John D’Agata’s book About a Mountain, the Ways of Hearing podcast, and Lady Bird:

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