GRATEFUL

The NPR podcast, "Hidden Brain," is one of my favorite shows. The podcast is focused on social sciences, namely psychology, and it covers the many mental traps we fall into. Recently, they released a show called, "The Enemies of Gratitude," which featured the psychologist Thomas Gilovich. In summary, we are our own worst enemies, and ingratitude often happens because we place ourselves center stage and forget all those around us who are also key protagonists in our lives. This tunnel vision becomes particularly acute under times of stress, and I must confide that unremitting stress is something I - and some many others - have faced these past few years.

However, somedays one is able to rest one's gaze outside one's self and to appreciate everything that is around us. Today was one of those days when I went for a run in the nearby Nichols Arboretum on a beautiful spring day. 

It was in the high 40s without a cloud in the sky when I took off for my run this morning. Within seconds, I was struck by how our long winter had finally come to a close. I witnessed bulbs on some plants and even flowers on others. As I neared the Arboretum, I even caught a glimpse of a blue jay, resplendent in the sun. 

As I was running back home - up a very steep hill, mind you - I could not help but feel grateful to live so close to the trails in the Arboretum, to have my health, to be able to still run, and to have the capacity to appreciate the beauty around me.

When times get tough or stress creeps back in, I hope I will remember my experience today and that it will sustain me.  What an amazing life I have had, including these last four and three quarters years with my family and teams at work here in Ann Arbor. These people and experiences like today remind me what gratitude is all about.

GIRLS STATE

This weekend, we watched the Apple TV documentary. "Girls State." The film was made by the same team that released the companion documentary, "Boys State," in 2020, and one could not help but compare the two films and the events depicted.

Girls State, like Boys State, is a weeklong "camp" for high schoolers to build a government from the ground up. There are election, and candidates for each office must convince a plurality of the attendees to vote for them. 

In Boys State, there was a fair amount of back stabbing, hypocrisy, and electioneering that filled the two hour film. Girls State was staid in comparison due to the fact that the organizers of the event seemed to be more concerned with the girls being gentile, docile, and avoidant of the major political divisions of the day.

Over the course of the documentary, the audience is introduced to several characters who are running for office. Nearly all are White and reside in rural areas of Missouri, where the documentary was shot. However, there were several characters who particularly stood out for their seriousness and their qualifications to win the offices they were seeking. There was a young woman, who was the daughter of Nigerian immigrants, running for Attorney General, and a young Indian woman named Nisha who wanted a slot on the Supreme Court. Despite both girls appearing highly qualified, one wins her nominating contest while the other is shut out. One could not help but feel that popularity was much more of a criterion for selection than principle in the case of the girl who misses out. In that sense, Girls State reflects our political environment all too well.

Although the inequities in the experiences between the boys and girls were brought to light in the film, it was clear to me that the girls were more well-poised to be effective leaders in our society one day. They demonstrated a greater ability to listen to other viewpoints, understood that consensus is necessary to achieve one's goals, and did not leap to demonize their opponents. 

A wise person once said, "The Future is Female." 

For all our sakes, let's hope so!

ORIGIN

On a recent flight, I watched the movie, "Origin," by the director Ava DuVernay. The movie is based on the book, "Caste: The Origins of our Discontents" by the journalist Isabel Wilkerson, which is a history of discrimination on the basis of class station across global societies. When I read the book, I remember feeling blown away by its premise and how race alone is an unsatisfactory explanation for how people are placed in the heirarchy.

Wilkerson - and DuVernay - depict how the social ladder is built upon the belief that some groups - regardless of shared religion, nation of origin, or race - are felt to be better than other groups in their society. There is probably no better example of this than India with its century's old caste system. To this day, the lowest caste - also known as the untouchables - are forced to carry out humiliating jobs, including those that modernization and sanitation have largely replaced. Among these jobs are cleaning out sewers or public toilets that lower caste members are made to crawl into and clean. The scenes from the movie describing these harrowing feats are particularly unsettling, so be warned prior to watching it.

A great book and movie help change one's world view and shed light on a wholly new perspective the audience had not considered. By these metrics, "Caste" and "Origin" are revelations.

LAST DANCE

Last Sunday, I drove to Cleveland on a whim for one purpose - to see Caitlin Clark's last college game in the NCAA Women's Final. While I had hoped Clark would win and end her career with a title, that was not meant to be. Like in life, things often do not according to plan in sports as well. Despite that, the game was truly electric thanks to the efforts of players on both teams, but most of all to Clark.

In years passed, I have not even watched the NCAA Women's Final. However, the past two years have been different with Clark's ascendance. Simply put, you always have a chance with Caitlin Clark on your side! She is a gamechanger who elevates those around her and whose feats on the court are unmatched.!

Until Caitlin came along, I had never heard the term "Logo three pointer," which is to say a three point shot taken from the logo at center court. This shot is just a routine part of her repertoire, and her scoring percentage from that distance rivals that of many players from two point range!

What is truly remarkable is that Caitlin is not just an incredible shooter and scorer but that her court vision and passing is among the best I have ever seen. She is the best combination of Steph Curry and Magic Johnson all in one - something I have never seen!

Wright Thompson had a wonderful profile of Caitlin recently. It was eye-opening, and I learned many new facts about her. For example, I did not known that she had committed to Notre Dame, where her parents had encouraged her to play. Ultimately, she decided she was not read to move so far away from home, and she stayed to play at Iowa. Deep down, she must have made the decision that family was more important that winning titles. She must have maintained that thought because she also refused to transfer from Iowa after her first two seasons and after coming up short in the final last year. 

It is quite possible had she gone to any top ten women's basketball school, she would have led them to multiple titles. However, it is also probable that she would not have been able to impose her free-flowing, dominant style on her opponents in those other schools' offensive systems. I cannot speak for Caitlin, but I can say that the way she plays has reframed my view of sports - not just women's sports - and what an elite, game-changing athlete looks like. 

I hope the Indian Fever make her the number one pick in the upcoming WNBA draft, and I look forward to heading down to Indianapolis to see her play again! 

From all of us, thank you, Caitlin, for allowing us to see you dance your way across the court and for bringing so much joy and awe to our lives. The NCAA Final will definitely not be your last dance!

THAT'S WHAT FRIENDS ARE FOR

We have not made many friends in the past four and a half years in Ann Arbor, but we have become close with one of our work colleagues, Dan, and his wife, Jane. We've had dinners at each others' homes and see each other on walks as they just live a few blocks away.

Recently, Jane recommend one of my favorite books that I read and reviewed here recently, Demon Copperhead. She leant me Kingsolver's earlier novel, the Poisonwood Bible, too. 

We both share a love for the outdoors, but we have not been to too many hiking spots since our move. Dan and Jane told us about one of their favorite spots, Kensington Park, and they even left a nice map of the park in our mailbox. Therefore, we decided to check it out this past weekend.

It was only about 20 minutes from our house, but it was a beautiful stroll around a large lake. We saw storks and a variety of other birds, and they even had a Nature Center, where one of the workers treated us to the daily feeding of a rescue bird who is recovering there. All in all, it was an excellent afternoon.

Afterwards, I was struck by how we never would have known about this park or Barbara Kingsolver, or so many things in Ann Abor were it not for Dan and Jane. That is what friends do. They enrich our lives, share parts of themselves with us, and make us better people. Grateful for them and so many of my friends who have made me who I am!

THE ZONE OF INTEREST

Yesterday, we watched the Zone of Interest, Jonathan Glazer's new film about the commandant of Auschwitz and his family who live next door to the death camp.

The film does not show a single image of the torture and devastation that take place in Auschwitz during 1943 when the film takes place. However, the sounds of the camps are inescapable, despite the characters' best efforts to ignore the horrors happening next door.

The film was understated, almost banal, and that was the point. So many soldiers, citizens, and other bystanders were witnesses to this shameful episode in world history, and I fear that we are seeing a repeat of this kind of devastation - and a blind eye to it - in Gaza.

I pray that we will learn the error of our ways and stop looking askance from the horrors men perpetrate other men before it is too late.

GROWTH MINDSET

We enjoyed Nicholas's visit home for spring break, but - once again - our time together went by way too fast.

I continue to be amazed by this young man, who has such an amazing head on his shoulders. He has navigated the first two-thirds of college without incident, and he has thrown himself into so many pursuits- his classes, home basketball games, the school radio station, the school television station, and the school newspaper. 

During his return home, I noticed a more mature, more thoughtful, and more grateful person than I had known before. More and more, I look to this young man as a guide for how to be and how to carry myself in this world.

I can't wait to see him again in May for a nice three month stretch. Until then, I will relish this past week and think about just how proud I am of my boy - correction- my young man!