Unplug

E140: Rest & Recap 20 - Writers Re"treat" in The Cévennes

I wish you could have joined me at this special place, Le Château de Saint Félix de Pallières¹ (hit Entrez and enjoy the virtual tour). Thanks to the hard work, generosity and local contacts of two special writers, Diane Osgood² and Cindy Villeneuva³ (more on them in the footnotes), I’m enjoying a Treat of a Writers’ Re"treat".

[Is half your email missing? Check back on the title of this post directly on the Substack website. As I get better wifi I will continue to update it with more photos.]

In this quiet (that is only shattered with the constant interruptions of the nightingales, doves, the frogs in the pond and possibly a Crow or two) I had a few realizations:

1. It would benefit every member of Tribe Tilt to schedule a mini re”treat”. This fits our tradition of the rest edition - where we discover different ways of scheduling a break for ACTIVE recovery. And we explore the reason why it is particularly important in an always-on 24/7 data bombardment 21st-century world. I suggest a slowdown. Or treat. Ideally both.

2. I no longer write a weekly blog post. It has evolved into a letter — a personal conversation — between the two of us that hopefully rekindles our connection and potentially elicits a response from you. If these were the days of Pride & Prejudice, we would be trading multiple messages each day on lavender-perfumed vellum of the lightest blue instead of sending WhatsApp texts or DMing Substack Notes to each other, my fingers would be ink-stained and I would wait for the postman at 8 am, noon and 6 pm, eager to see if he held an envelope in your distinctive handwriting, with a much-anticipated insight and response!

In a nod to Season 3 of Bridgerton, Lady Whistledown, and another letter-writing cultural moment “Esteemed members of the Ton” I will now start our conversations with:

Dearest Friend and valued member of our Tribe Tilt,

Unplugged

I think each member of Tribe Tilt should consider treating themselves to a haven or retreat. The why fits really well into these regular “Rest and Recap” editions. Every 7th edition, we pause, advocate for proactively programming in a rest break (21st-century life hack), and reflect on the direction of the past weeks. We are looking for patterns and searching for learning. (Tell me more about the Rest & Recap edition⁴).

The internet signal is weak in this beautiful little hamlet in the sloping hills of the Cévennes. And when 15 other amazing writers are vying for bandwidth, it moves really, r-e-a-l-l-l-l-l-y slow! It forces you off the internet treadmill, confuses the trolling algorithm generator (see algorithm post “Care to Comment” below) and breaks your algo-rhythm.

It is enforced quiet time.

A time to think. To research and read. To work on book two (which is having a complete rewrite after my past five months in Goa). And to Unplug.

I am forced to work with paper and pen. To stop. To walk. To read. To talk. To listen. To consolidate scattered notes and smatterings of thoughts parked in various documents on my drives. And notice where patterns emerge that were not visible before. Where I can consider changing the horizon of my book. Time away does that. It highlights big decisions in bold, so they stand out from your everyday.

That is the stepping back and slowing down part of this week.

Then there is the Treat:

Re”treat”, Restore, Reinvigorate

Instead of a writing retreat, this is a Writer’s re”treat”.

Diane and Cindy have a treat lined up for us each day. We have two local chefs conjuring up traditional dishes featuring ingredients from a 25km radius of the chateau. Gorgeous heads of lettuce served with the simplest vinaigrette. Baby potatoes so tiny they look like a collection of little toes. Wild asparagus. Fresh butter. A lime marmalade to die for! Goat cheese on local bread for breakfast. Wine grown a stone’s throw away. Literally.

Local artisans visit and discuss how the chestnut trees were integral to survival in the Cevennes during the religious wars. Visits to the museums that detailed the Protestant history of the region, including the massacres/martyrdoms on each side. Trips to the very walkable medieval towns of Sauve, St.Jean-du-Gard, Anduze, Uzes. A very special visit as local author, Adam Thorpe, reads from his book “Notes from the Cevennes - Half a Lifetime in Provincial France”.

I feel very “cared for” — even spoiled — by all this nature, love and attention. I’m returning restored.

Is there something you can do to step out of your ordinary for an hour or two so that you, too, can experience a tiny bit of this “pick-me-up” feeling? A day-trip to a favourite zoo? A walk by a pond or park? An indulgent trip to the grocery store for a vase of wild lilac? An ice-cream cone with your favourite flavour? An uninterrupted phone call with a friend?

That is my wish for you in this REST week:

• That you get to unplug.

• That someone gets the opportunity to spoil you, or that you get a few moments to spoil yourself. With a treat.

I know you are busy. But consider. In a week of 168 hours, could you find just ONE for yourself? Or squeeze in one hour for self-love every seven weeks? You are worthy of it.

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** Meetups? I’m in London for the month June 2024. DM me **

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Recap: Digest of issues 134 - 139

Nature has been pulling out all the jazzy stops recently! First a solar eclipse. Then the Northern Lights (which I missed in France). Mother Earth is sure reminding us of why we should work hard in Climate (see Rick Lewis’ comment below). Patience and creativity, wonder and awe are also great 21st century skills, playing into the themes of Future of Work, as does the theme of understanding the newer technologies around us. And debating the long view. All of which fed so well into the concept of high agency kids in

Anna Kogan Nasser

‘s essay for Raising Future Ready Leaders.

Honestly Human

‘s Rick Lewis offered a deep reflection on the captivating power of the solar eclipse that dominated our news cycle (until the recent Northern Lights!):
”… amazing when a brief act of nature/Reality captivates the human race, though I guess it happens every single day wherever arresting sunsets occur, eagles fly, or flowers bloom. We are rightly touched and drawn in by the simplest appearances of organic life. Or the passing of them.”

WoP12 editor extraordinaire

Michelle Elisabeth Varghese

commented:
”I love your look to the future and it’s no surprise (though very interesting) that you were in the room where the Ethereum announcement took place!”

<Yes, this was the one with the BTS algorithm funnel!>
Highlighting the impact of this invitation to comment on the work of others from the perspective of a veteran:

Alexandra Allen's Substack

was launched 3 years ago. “Before I started writing online, it never occurred to me writers would appreciate my likes and comments. I assumed they were confident in their abilities and had little regard for feedback from readers like me.

But now I know the likes and comments mean a ton, and I'm grateful when people drop them in response to my posts. I'm glad new students have you to encourage them!”

And budding writer,

Linart Seprioto

reflected: “As a budding (and struggling) writer, the comments inspired me to keep moving forward. That is the value you can create by simply engaging in someone else's work.”

Brooke Smith

is a young mother in the sandwich generation. She reflected:

I just read the Shawn Puri article because of this. And this line got me, “They are the only people on earth who care about you more than you even care about yourself.”

This one led to readers sharing the deep parenting work of

Anna Kogan Nasser

and foodie musings of GenZ

Jack Chen

with others around them.

Margaret O’Brien, a fellow Crow, who has just walked a section of the French Camino and writes

Weather Report: On Beauty

shared this experience:
Just last night I shared a communal dining experience with, among others, some guys from Rome in their mid 20s. We are on the Camino in northern Spain and I love these random encounters. Let me tell you these guys know and are passionate about their own food culture. I found it exciting and heartening to be in conversation with them.

@Cindy Villanueva marveled on how Roman architecture offers us lessons for how we create for the future: “… the way you take a gargantuan idea like empire building and bring it into bite-sized morsels for your readers to ponder”

I find it very insightful to rewind and review the past seven weeks of writing. Your comments often extend the perspective that I had placed before you, adding yet another dimension to variety of topics, not just for me, but also for our community of Tribe Tilt. That is why I include the comments in the review editions. And why I will be waiting eagerly for your responses over the coming weeks.

Mr. Postman (Mr. Postman, look and see)
Oh, yeah (if there's a letter in your bag for me)

Thank you for joining this tiny but powerful Tribe Tilt. We believe in the best of humanity - connecting people, sharing ideas, and exploring thoughts respectfully. We support each other. We believe we can make a difference to the people and places that are precious to us. And that the best idea can come from anyone, anywhere, at any time. Thank you for joining with your curiosity which we welcome.

I’m putting all errors this week down to bad wifi signals! Let’s hope for better over the coming weeks.

Is this your first visit to Tilt the Future? Come join our Tribe Tilt by hitting this button below:

Wishing you and all those you love a wonderful season of joy, peace and recovery.

Stay healthy. From there all else becomes possible.
Karena

Dateline: Saint-Félix-de-Pallières, France

1. Nestled into the sloping hills of the Cévennes in the Occitane region of France, this region has particular significance in the history of the Shakers, the French Camisards and the birth of Protestant faith in France (and then via Manchester to North America).

2. Diane Osgood: Diane is publishing a book on how to shop with your soul so that we can save the planet. With a PhD in Environmental Economics she advises others, and offers an insider’s view on how we can make individual economic decisions that collectively protect the earth’s resources. DM me or her directly to be added to the pre-sale list.

3. Cindy Villanueva is a marketing exec/writer who writes the Substack

Because Words Matter

and just added fictional romance to her repetoire with her book Breadpudding in Barcelona available as a paperback or ebook!

4. The Rest editions offer a break - like a 7th-inning stretch - for our Tribe. It's a chance for learning consolidation (a 21st-century skill). https://tiltthefuture.substack.com/i/85450996/what-is-a-rest-edition