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I’m Hugh Hollowell, and this is Life Is So Beautiful, a lovingly curated, hand written, AI-free artisanal short essay and collection of links to things I thought were beautiful. I hope you like it - I made it just for you. - HH

Hey y’all,

I’m not sure what the problem is, exactly. You can blame it on shame, or my ADHD, or the consequences of late stage capitalism or living with the current system of panopticism from social media or the aftermath of a lifelong dance with depression, but the truth is it is probably an amalgamation of all of that, with some Gen X evidence-based-cynicism at our current political situation here in the States thrown in and all stirred together.

But however you stir it, I have been in a rough place this year. The words haven’t really been coming when I apply my ass to the chair, and when the words don’t come, it’s always a bad sign.

I went for a walk this morning. That, in and of itself, is not rare. I walk most mornings. Well, except in the winter, because I have achy joints as a result of misadventures in my youth, and the cold is not my friend. But winter is mercifully brief here, and the money we spend each year for the family membership to the gym with an indoor walking track is money spent I do not begrudge.

But anyway - I walked this morning. My birthday is on Wednesday, and I will be 52 years old. This does not make sense to me, as 52 is the age of old men, and I am not that. I am pretty healthy and generally active, and once past infancy, have never spent the night in the hospital as a patient, never been under general anesthesia, and only had one broken bone, the result of a vehicle accident. As an adult, I have never faced anything more serious than a sinus infection. But I feel physical limitations creeping up on me - things that were once easy must now be planned, and things that were once fast are now slow if done at all.

The prospect of physical limitations scare me, if I am honest. I think the generalized anxiety about aging and retirement being closer and the financial consequences of having a career made up of work that society valued but did not want to pay adequately for must also go into the hot mess of conditions that have contributed to my having a rough year.

But the walk this morning was nice, and everything is lush and green, the way it is in late spring in the Southland after a rain. I saw a woodpecker in flight, and waved at my neighbors and their dogs and I thought about last night, when my wife and I sat in a chain steakhouse in the suburbs and looked around at the people around us, and we talked.

We talked about how I have done meaningful work I am proud of most of my life, how I love our house and our neighborhood and our city, and how while we wish kids had been in the picture, we are enjoying not being tied down to them. We spoke of how we enjoy the freedom to pursue our many varied interests and hobbies, and the mini-vacations we often take throughout the year.

I like our life, she said. It’s pretty good.

I thought about it, and agreed. It’s pretty good. It’s easy to lose perspective in the midst of everything else, but I wouldn’t be willing to trade with anyone else.

Thanks for being part of that.

Five Beautiful Things

The French photographer JC Peri captured this humanizing moment with a chimpanzee. I try not to anthropomorphize animals, but they ARE our closest genetic relatives…

I swear, there was no theme intended with the links today, but it appears sperm whales not only communicate with each other, but also seem to have something like an alphabet.

The war on drugs in the 1980’s gutted Black communities, with repercussions being felt to this day. Photographer Jamel Shabazz went through his archives of street photography from NYC Black neighborhoods and put together the book A Time Before Crack, showing Black joy on full display. There is a great write up and a selection of photos in this New Yorker article.

The Instagram account I Don’t Give a Seat collects photos of the fabric patterns of transit seats. That seems way less interesting than it actually is, especially in the aggregate. (h/t to Kottke)

To risk two New Yorker links in one day, this graphic story (to call it a comic seems a disservice) about belonging hits the right places. (If you hit a paywall, try opening the link in an incognito tab on your browser.)

TCB

The most clicked link last issue was Ten Blue Links, which told how to subvert the AI Google search results.

As I mentioned in the intro, my birthday is June the 5th. I’m a horrible marketer, but every June is Membership Month on this newsletter. Life Is So Beautiful is a reader-supported publication. I have no ads, no sponsorships, and no grants. I just have a group of folks I call members, who pay a little each month (somewhere between $5 and $25) to help me pay the bills for this little enterprise.
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I don’t know what you know about web publishing in the year 2024, but it can be expensive. It costs me hundreds of dollars a month to publish this newsletter. The only way I can afford to do it is because of the members.

If you want to help out, become a member. It’s quick, and while there are occasional perks, the biggest perk is it lets me keep doing projects like this that don’t always make economic sense. The world can be harsh and dreadful, but it is underpinned by beauty. Thanks to my members, I get to keep looking for it, and sharing it with you.

Other ways to support this project include buying me a cup of coffee or throwing me some cash through your favorite platform or even just sharing it with your friends.

Take care,

HH