Ted Talks

This year has been so busy! Way different than I thought it would be at the beginning of the year. Funny how 3 weeks can change so much. But the biggest change is...

Matt got his Masters! Woohoo! 

Since he is getting his PhD, there wasn't any formal celebration, so we made him a hat and celebrated at home. He did great and I'm so glad his hard work paid off. 

On other notes, our new year resolutions are paying off. One of the ones has been walking up early. Most people clean there home before bed, but I'm so exhausted that I have found cleaning in the morning is a bit easier. Most of the house only takes about 15 minutes to clean and then I head to the kitchen to do dishes. Without a dishwasher, dishwashing usually takes quite a bit of time, around 45 minutes.

I love this time, and I usually put on Ted talks. I love Ted talks. I started to listen to Ted talks in college (while washing dishes) and I absolutely love them. I've heard several hundred, and I wanted to share some of my favorites.

My very favorite is this one by Andrew Solomon on depression. It is sad, but I loved the insight that I gained from listening to it. He defines and shows how depression is a mental illness.

http://www.ted.com/talks/andrew_solomon_depression_the_secret_we_share

While this is not the most entertaining Ted talk, I think Jimmy Wales, founder of wikipedia, is a good listen. I use wikipedia all the time, and I love hearing how it works and what they stand for. He is not the most entertaining speaker so it might seem a little long.

http://www.ted.com/talks/jimmy_wales_on_the_birth_of_wikipedia

I'm not a fan Eat, Pray, Love but Elizabeth Gilbert's talk on creativity is brilliant. I refer to her talk regularly in conversations and it has changed how I view creativity and failure.

http://www.ted.com/talks/elizabeth_gilbert_on_genius?language=en

This one is just quirky. Pam Warhurst talks about how she turned her town into a farm. I love how it shows community coming together and how a few people can make big changes.

http://www.ted.com/talks/pam_warhurst_how_we_can_eat_our_landscapes

I don't know who Amanda Palmer is, but her talk The Art of Asking is great message. She talks about how people are willing to give and help and all you need to do is ask. I love this message partly because she shows how people are usually good.

http://www.ted.com/talks/amanda_palmer_the_art_of_asking?language=en

And last is Sarah Kay's slam poetry. I actually liked it enough that I bought her book with this poem in it. It's lovely and powerful.

https://www.ted.com/talks/sarah_kay_if_i_should_have_a_daughter?language=en

Do you have any favorite Ted talks? I'm always up for suggestions. And if you don't, you should check some of these out and let me know what you think.