The Mom Weekly Volume 6: Tuesday, August 29, 2023
A feature, not a bug
A few weeks ago, on the same day, I did Body Pump at the Y for the first time in several years (!), as well as more than an hour of Pickleball (with some of you!). I was so sore the next day, and for several days afterwards. But it got me thinking that soreness is not actually a bad thing. The soreness is a feature, not a bug.
The expression “It’s not a bug, it’s a feature” began as a saying used by software programmers for a lot of reasons, both good and bad. But over time it’s become a positive way to explain how something that seems “faulty” or wrong is actually a good thing. Here’s just one: a post explaining why age is a feature, not a bug, in tech.
If I get back into the habit of going to Body Pump (and playing Pickleball more often), I will not be “so” sore, and that has become true over the last few weeks.
But I have to get through the soreness, and periodic experiences of that, in order to get and stay stronger, which is a high value for me as I get older. I need to keep reminding myself that the soreness is not a “bug”—not something wrong with me—but rather, a “feature” of me getting stronger.
The “feature, not bug” construct can be applied to many areas of life.
For instance, there is a feature, not a bug, of decluttering. When I get rid of something, there is the temporary, but very real, experience of anxiety I get when I either throw something away or drop off a bag at Goodwill.
That resistance is not a bug telling me, “oops, you keep all the things and never throw anything away” but rather a feature—the reminder that giving things away is hard. But it’s still important. And the more I overcome that resistance/anxiety, the easier it gets to declutter or let go of things.
In your life, what have you found that you thought was a bug, but is actually a feature?
Love,
Mom
An interesting read: What If Your Town Doubled as a Private Power Grid?
A curious contrast: in the Sunday paper version of the NYTimes, this article was titled, “Developing Neighborhoods That Can Keep the Lights On”
I like the idea of having infrastructure in more decentralized ways. I’d love to live in a neighborhood like this! What about you?
An interesting listen: Young House Love Has a Podcast—a new episode!
It’s been almost two years since there’s been a episode!
One fond memory of the early pandemic was listening to old episodes of Young House Love Has a Podcast while doing jigsaw puzzles. I had listened to it for a long time, but there was something so comforting and enjoyable about it. John & Sherry stopped airing regular episodes of the podcast in mid-2020, which was so sad! They did one pop-up episode in 2021, and the current one. Here’s hoping for more.
The fun connection/six degrees I have to this is that I introduced John & Sherry to Tanja Hester of Our Next Life. Tanja referenced them in a “be yourself”message in her talk at FinCon 2019. When I shared that on Instagram and tagged them, they connected. Tanja later told me (at one of the virtual FinCons during the pandemic) that that’s how they met. I guess I’m a pretty good connector!
I actually haven’t listened to it yet, because I’m saving it as a “treat,” and I’m pretty sure they are not going back to regular episodes. But it was fun while it lasted.
An action item: clean up your phone
This week’s task is to clean up your phone display. I have done this from time to time, but I thought having it as a regular occurrence would be helpful.
I am going to try to stick with working for only 5-10 minutes, and get as much completed while I can, so as not to make it a hyper focus time suck. So I’m setting a timer and seeing how much I can get done in that time.
I’m going to start by taking apps off of my phone that I don’t use much or at all. I can always re-download them if I need them again.
Updated: 10 minutes didn’t get me very far with this task, but I was able to delete a bunch of apps. There’s just so many more! I stopped after the 10 minutes though, and I’ll come back to it another time.
What are you doing this weekend?
The Mom Weekly schedules to post on Tuesdays. One of the reasons for this is to encourage you (and me, too!) to think about weekend plans. All too often, I have let that go until Friday, and then it’s hard to get people together, or make plans for coffee, or figure out when you go to Mass (other than the default, which is what we typically do).
So, now that it’s Tuesday, what are you planning for the weekend? I’m going to suggest trying to cover four “F”s to get ideas flowing:
*faith—when are you going to Mass?
*friends—what friends will you see or connect with?
*food—any fun recipes you plan to try, or restaurants you plan to visit?
*fun—anything interesting you are going to play, watch, or do this weekend? Now’s the time to think it through, and put it on the calendar (even informally).