(@ablackgirlinthewoods, 12/26/2025, YouTube) <social media> “I get my fair share of critique on this platform, and I’d be lying if every now and then, I didn’t consider just logging off for good and returning to purely being a spectator on here. When you so meticulously build a meaningful life, it can feel counterproductive to willingly subject yourself to the unnecessary and usually misdirected negativity of the internet. But then I read Toni, Audre, Joanna, or I’ll come here, and watch a video from someone far, far away, admiring the trees against a sunset. In an instant, a human miles and miles from me, who thought to share a brief moment from their corner of the world, with whoever might stop to see it, has brought beauty to my life. Now that is power, and a whole lot of soul. We don’t have to be a renowned author or activist to change a life and build a new world. We just have to be human.”

“The change reveals new insights into how a safer, almost predator-free environment can allow animals to experiment and innovate, scientists say.” “The young birds are also behaving more boldly, mingling more, and trading songs. "What we see are all these fledglings hanging out together in mixed-species flocks, and they're learning from each other", and imitating each others' songs, Kleindorfer says. “

'After 200 years, we're seeing this species again': The lost birds making a comeback in the Galapagos Islands

Freed from the threat of invasive predators, Galapagos birds are performing astonishing feats of return and innovation – 200 years after Charles ...

This is the best article I have ever read. Hooray! Get rid of human-introduced predators (mice, rats, cats). Side note: it does seem cruel to poison the rats and cats … also, I wonder what type of insecticide they used - hopefully not one that will poison the plant-life along with the specific insect causing disease.

(@ablackgirlinthewoods, 12.26.2025, YouTube) “When modern western society does what it’s meant to, by adulthood, we find ourselves on a mostly predetermined, linear path, with any sense of self, any sense of knowing, all but beat from us. Without much thought, we learn to suppress or reject what isn’t logical and sensible. When I finally began to explore and articulate, even just for myself, the feelings my brain had dismissed, I couldn’t turn back. Deep down, I’d always known what did or didn’t feel right about this place. It’s a scary practice … until I realized the path I wanted to follow wasn’t a straight one. It was an arc, bending back towards a way of being that once was. A return to a world that honored our connectedness; that all life is constantly supporting the next. It made the path feel a little less lonely because we’ve walked it before.”

An ongoing theme in life … seems to be, let’s see how people can twist the act of communication. It’s *been* happening in politics, and toxic workplaces. Also noticing it on social media. … and some interpersonal relationships.

🪾🍃🪫

#dogstr This unicorn plushy was found near the car. So in the front of the building, a kid likes to throw toys out the window. Mostly cars and vehicle toys. Then in the back of the building, right above our parking spot, there’s also a kid who likes to throw toys and miscellaneous things out the window. Including this like-new, good quality plushy. It has a battery inside. There was also a tiny kawaii-style black cat plushy wearing a purple witch hat and holding a 🎃

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“When we reflect on what we are doing in our everyday life, we are always ashamed of ourselves . . . Shoshaku jushaku means ‘to succeed wrong with wrong’, or one continuous mistake. According to Dogen, one continuous mistake can also be Zen.” •The Marrow of Zen, response to a student who wrote a letter to Suzuki, saying that he felt like a failure due to not being able to follow the good mottoes that were on calendar pages. Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind (1970) ✨ “I feel like you can be super confident and strong and also *knowingly* fuck up and *knowingly* get yourself into situations that are not good for you. But you’re doing it all because you are a smart woman and because you’re in control of your life. You can be super put-together and everything can be in shambles.” •Sabrina Carpenter, reflecting on the themes in her music and how that was represented in the artwork The Independent (12/4/2025) Given the context of both of these quotes, I think the similar message is ‘no pressure, be yourself, trust’.

https://www.reddit.com/r/amphibia/s/ItAjLrdvar #Amphibia sketch