Over the Rim

Human Bean Coming Home

A cartoon

A thought

Sometimes drawings arrive, complete and unexplained - which can be a pain in the butt as I have to try and work out what on earth I am saying!

Can we see the sauce we soak in?

I am in a period of integration after finishing my meta-relational AI course. It was enormous and it has rearranged the furniture inside my head. The dominant feeling I am left with at this point is sorrow. A deep dive into AI unexpectedly acted as a portal into the patterns, assumptions and comforts of modernity, and I now see them with crystalline, unsettling clarity. Grief at our collective predicament - the sheer human bungling of it, the mess we persist in making and remaking - AI simply being the latest chapter.

However, I notice L’il Bean isn’t despairing; actually, they look quite pleased. That rim must be sharp, out of the sauce but not comfortable!

Glimmers and sparks*

My glimmers for today are:

• Sometimes hard to find! Today was one of those days - I was grumpy, I yelled at the kids, my knee hurts, but I made this post - it was a tiny solace :)

• Earthworms - heavy rain has them out and about today, leaving tangled worm tracks across the dirt road.

• Intermittent sun on my back with a coffee.

Li’l bean is your reminder to pause and ask: What are your glimmers for today?

If you are intrigued and ready to feel the world slide under your feet, the course runs again in September - highly recommended along with a dose of caution - you will not remain the same, and if you are in Australia, the tutorials are ridiculously early in the morning: https://continuingstudies.uvic.ca/teaching-learning-and-development/courses/a-meta-relational-approach-to-ai

From your friend and your small, steadfast companion,

*Drawing Li’l Bean helped me navigate out of a period of depression in 2023. A good friend 13, 595km away, helped, too, through a ritual of swapping daily glimmers via text.

A glimmer is a tiny spark of hope, enthusiasm or joy that lifts your heart. By helping me find three glimmers each day, she gently helped me see the joy and beauty already around me.

I’d like to share this practice with you and invite you to reflect on your glimmers for the day when you read this. Think of Li’l Bean as a reminder to notice the glimmers and sparks in your life. We’d love it if you would like to share your glimmers in the comments or by hitting reply (if you don’t like sharing publicly).

My cartoons grow from Ngunnawal Country, where sovereignty was never ceded. My respect and gratitude to Elders across time, those who have held, who still hold, and who will hold this Country in wisdom and care. May my small work walk softly alongside their long story of stewardship and belonging.