Common Sense Home Good News Letter 3/18/23
“Don’t believe the noise. Those mean, petty, hateful voices will never be the majority. They only seem loud and pervasive, because they have the idle time to broadcast their negativity. The rest of us are too busy with real efforts to make the world a better place.” ― Anthon St. Maarten
This morning I woke up to the following comment in my inbox:
“I think if you are going to have your hair tied back all the time you should grow out your bangs and consider contacts as your glasses create an unpleasant glare. Be aware of how your clothing fits as it can be frumpy, you have a lovely smile and it wouldn’t hurt to accent it with a touch of tinted gloss and dark brown mascara if you were open to that. This would help people to focus more on your great content and not be distracted by your plainness. This is how it feels to be critiqued and so if you are going to critisize be mindful and have some couth.”
I admit, at first I was annoyed and upset, but they are right about some things. I don’t dress flashy and my glasses sometimes do create a glare.
Instead of deleting the comment, I decided to use it as a teaching opportunity. (The comment and reply are here.) Maybe the commenter will see it, maybe not. Either way, I’m not going to let another jerk on the internet make me feel I’m not good enough just because they don’t like my lack of fashion sense. (I have no fashion sense. It is not my gift.)
It is sad fact that as we go through life, we inevitably encounter people who treat us poorly. When they don’t have a logical argument, they resort to ad hominem attacks.
Don’t let the haters stop you. The people who really matter are busy, just like you, trying to make the world a better place.
All our best to you and yours,
Laurie (and August IV, August V, and Duncan)
P.S. We are making progress on the Growing Healthy membership site. (I hate figuring out new software!) I can’t wait to dive in with you, exploring how to grow and prepare healthier foods, as well as making our gardens more pest and disease resistant. We’ll be talking about remineralizing the soil, improving the soil structure, some unusual concepts like electrohorticulture, and more.
This week’s featured articles…
We’re giving some love to the duck patrol this week in the article, “Do ducks need a pond?” Eldest son put together a video montage with water loving duckies from duckling to adult to include in the post.
Easter is just around the corner, so it’s time for Easter brunch ideas. There are tips for main dishes, sides, and desserts, like these homemade candies.
If you still don’t have all your seeds ordered, check out our favorite heirloom seed companies. I’ve updated the article to include some reader favorites, too.
My friend, Colleen, is offering her free dead nettle info sheets, which are part of her gather + root online foraging course.
Popular on Instagram this week: Le Mew in nap mode and attack mode.