🐥The Paradox of Now #13

In for a Shilling in for a Pound

I bet I know more about the various dimensions of box frames than any of you.

I’d bet three shillings on it. Maybe even the nice marble I found in my pocket last week.

That’s because I’ve been working on a very exciting project connected to this newsletter.

All will be revealed soon.

And by "soon," I mean… whenever I can be bothered to actually finish it.

Anyway, the point I’m trying to make…

Wait, am I trying to make a point?

Maybe it’s this: If you dedicate an entire Easter bank holiday weekend to something, you basically turn pro at it.

So lean into that itch you’ve been ignoring. See where it goes.

Aim small. Look silly. Start anyway.

I do it every week with this newsletter.

If I can, you definitely can.

Cool, now let me give you a taste of what's coming:

🐥 An Aussie surviving on nothing but beans
🐥 A baked bean... in a hot tub
🐥 I’ve ‘bean’ thinking about shoelaces

🥚Eggstra News🥚

Your weekly dose of some fascinating and fun finds:

📜 Fountain Pen – I bought one. Now journaling makes me feel like I am Zac Efron. If you handwrite anything, this will make it weirdly exciting.

🎒 Beau Miles – The king of quirky YouTube adventures. In this one, he eats only beans for 40 days. Chaos, wisdom, and beans await.

📻 Oh What A Time – A history podcast that’s more pub banter than textbook. Learn about milk bars and Mr. Butlins’ bed-shaped tombstone. You’ll laugh. You’ll learn. Mostly laugh.

The Paradox of Now

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To Love in the Aftermath of a Party

I'm still experimenting with a mix of storytelling and a more traditional newsletter style. This week, we’re combining the two.

Let me know what you prefer by leaving a review at the end of today’s newsletter.

A Short Story:

And here’s why I wrote this…

People who know me will tell you: I get excited by the smallest things. The other day, I was completely fascinated by an akimbo tap.

That tiny flicker of joy in the ordinary has been one of the biggest shifts in my mindset.

It’s helped me move from being under a dark cloud to becoming someone who can offer light when others need it most.

I don’t claim to know much about love - maybe because love itself is so hard to define.

But I’ve been a best man more than once, and I’ve found myself being the person friends turn to during the hard parts of their relationships.

I’ve often wondered why they come to me. I haven’t been in a romantic relationship for a few years - what do I know?

But maybe that’s the point.

Because even if I’m not currently in a romantic relationship, I’d argue I’m still in love. Deeply in love - with life.

With the quiet privilege of simply getting to exist here and now.

I get to fall in love with the minutiae of everyday living.

I get to love the way my new fountain pen glides across a page.

I get to love the smooth, carved spoon my friend whittled, every time I use it to sprinkle rosemary and garlic salt over my eggs in the morning.

I get to love watching the raindrop I chose race against the others on my windowpane.

I get to love the smell of a new book.

I get to love watching my niece giggle with excitement at the sight of bubbles.

I get to love the little win of guessing the right key for my front door on the first try.

And when those tiny moments are shared with someone else - that’s when relationships feel most alive.

Because you’re not waiting for the crescendo. You’re dancing to the quiet rhythm of background instruments - the ones most people ignore.

But without them, the orchestra wouldn’t work.

Real life happens on an average Tuesday evening, when your partner walks through the door and you greet them with something that feels like home.

That’s where most of your life takes place.

So that’s where the love needs to live, too.

Maybe you’re reading this while sitting in a relationship that’s quietly drifting.

Or maybe you’ve never thought about how the tiny, unglamorous moments could be the place where love grows.

The good news is - you get to start again.

Today, ask yourself:

This mindset doesn’t form overnight. It’s a practice. A lifelong one. But once it settles in, it becomes hard to imagine life any other way.

Because we all live far more average lives than we think.

So why not fall in love with the average?

Why not find joy in the minutiae of everyday living?

Because what else do we really have?

🐥 Haiku’s Haiku 🐥

Why does Haiku pose for the same photo in the same spot every week?

Because he’s vain, obviously. He says the lighting hits just right and brings out his freckles.

NOPE.

It’s actually so we can see how the same place shifts with the seasons.

Like a slow, leafy time-lapse.

Look at that green popping off the page.

You go, girl. Main character energy.

Be centre stage. You deserve it.

Haiku’s happy to take a back seat this week.

🌴 Palm Tree Euphoria 🌴

I often wonder what happened to the people who used to tie their shoelaces with the double-bow technique in school.

Do they still bend down on one knee and carefully make two loops before tying them together?

Surely not. Surely they’ve evolved.

Or gone extinct.

Actually, now that I think about it... when was the last time you saw someone stop to tie their laces in public? It feels like a lost art.

But if you do spot someone tying a lace - especially a double-bow specialist - please let me know.

And if you can, try and get an action shot.

Message me on socials.

Send an email.

Even a carrier pigeon!

I need to know if they’re still out there.

P.S. if you liked this week’s worth of gibberish, forward it to a fellow duckling you care about.

Word of beak is how we help improve our small corner of the world.

PLUS… Doing so gets you a FREE gift!

See you next week you Dashing Ducks.