Bioluminescence, Happy Chemicals, and Snarky Poetry
It's a Grab Bag Post!
A blank space where the sappy autumn poem goes
Poetry’s great! And the fall season does seem to inspire many people to write in verse. For some reason, I’m feeling a little snarky about effusive rhapsodies on fall right about now. So instead of a nostalgic poem about the beauty of changing colors or the chill in the air, I’ll share this one by James Study:
An Autumn Tale
Autumn with all the metaphors I can muster
The beauty of the season and it's golden luster
The raking of leaves
And cleaning of eaves
And my annual trip to the back adjuster
Copyright © James Study | Year Posted 2024
On glowing in the dark
Ever since I read Julia Baird’s book Phosphorescence, I’ve wanted to see the phenomenon in nature. Baird, who lives in Sydney, Australia, regularly swims in Cabbage Tree Bay and has not only seen naturally occurring bioluminescent waves, but has swum through them.
“There are few things as startling as encountering an unearthly glow in the wild. Glow-worms. Ghost mushrooms. Fireflies. Flashlight fish. Lantern sharks. Vampire squid. Our forest floors and ceilings, our ocean depths and fringes are full of luminous beings, creatures lit from the inside. And they have, for many centuries, enchanted us, like glowing missionaries of wonder, emissaries of awe.
Is there anything more beautiful than living light?”
― Julia Baird, Phosphorescence: On Awe, Wonder and Things That Sustain You When the World Goes Dark
Well, I got my chance to see the waves in-person just a few days ago. Due to an algae bloom near Santa Monica, we saw blue bioluminescent waves just a short drive away. Of course, my blurry iphone picture doesn’t do it justice (and we somehow still have sand in the car). But it was a truly awe-inspiring sight to see in person and share with my children.
For clearer pictures, check out Megan Hillyer and Patrick Coyne who captured the blue waves beautifully!
Happiness Chemicals
With dark nights getting longer and the time change coming soon, you may be looking for ways to boost your mood. Here’s a handy graphic on different happiness chemicals, what they do and how to get them. Take care of yourself and enjoy!
Changing clocks… or not
Speaking of the time change, at least we get an extra hour of sleep. Best of luck to us all!
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~What I’m reading~
Boundaries for Leaders by Henry Cloud
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