FWIAFLTM Archive
Each issue of The Kindling includes suggestions of ridiculous things to try…for when it all feels like too much. This blog post is the FWIAFLTM archive. We hope you can find something here to bring you some relief.
Get some fresh air and get inspired by a community action success story at Buck’s Ledge in Woodstock!
More generally, go for a hike (it’s just walking, on dirt)! Even the shortest hike will reward you with fresh air, natural light, and spring ephemerals like trillium, lady slippers, trout lilies, Jack-in-the-pulpit, etc. Bonus: contribute to community science by uploading your flower pictures to iNaturalist.
Crack every window in your house. Blast your favorite song while:
Air-drying your laundry (saving energy, defying despair).
Writing a haiku about the weather’s fickleness ("Sun, rain, same old fight— / Maine knows how to outlast both. / So do we. The end.").
Spend time in your favorite third space to recharge. What the heck is a third space? Read about it here. What public/community spaces do you wish existed in your area? (Seriously, let us know!)
Plant something. Whether your thumb is green or black, there is something therapeutic about digging in the dirt. For low effort, high reward, try planting herb seedlings you can cook with, like sage, thyme, or rosemary.
Walk into the woods and scream into the wind.
Text a friend: ‘I’m thinking of you. Want to vent over coffee at the Gemini?’
Go down a Donny Pelletier rabbithole. [Warning: this is an IG link. Sorry not sorry.]
Mail Jared Golden a postcard that says “NO, I WILL NOT CALM DOWN”, written in glitter gel pen.
Text a friend a wildly specific compliment for every minute you spend doom scrolling: “Your ability to parallel park in Portland is an inspiration.”
Grab some sidewalk chalk and write optimistic messages around town: “You’re made of stardust and stubbornness.”
Pretend you’re a tourist in your town. Take a photo of one oddly beautiful thing. (Bonus: Post it to the Spark Map as a “Hope Spot” and I’ll share it in next week’s newsletter!)
Fill out the prompt: “Today, I survived ____. Tomorrow, I’ll fight ____. Right now, I need ____.” Jot it down on a piece of paper, tuck it in your pocket, take a look at it before you head to bed. You’ve got this!
Check out this video of the first colossal squid ever observed on camera - it’s a baby! (Youtube link)
Read this absolutely heart warming article about a story sharing supper in Norway that organizers started to combat loneliness in rural Maine.
Read this free article about an Abenaki banquet project.
For rainy day blues:
Sit by a window, stare out at the rain, and sketch the moose of Maine taking on the administration. Or anything else. Preferably with your non-dominant hand.
Light a candle (or stare at a lamp) and say “This flame has outlasted every storm. So will I.”
Text a friend and ask if they want to join you for a rainy, puddle-stomping walk around town after y’all grab your favorite beverage from The Gemini! After your walk, change into dry socks, light a candle, and repeat to yourself “I am not the dampness. I am the flame.” Sounds ridiculous, right? I dare you to try it.
Harvard University is offering FREE access to many of its courses on U.S. government. We’ve signed up for Civic Engagement in a Constitutional Democracy and Constitutional Foundations. Join us!
What works for you? Have an idea we can share with the community? Let us know here!