Hello!
Greetings from Indianapolis, where Spring has tentatively arrived.
Someone told me once that as you enter middle age, you either become a tree person or a bird person. I lack the pattern recognition and visual intelligence to immediately identify a flash of red feathers as a cardinal or a red-bellied woodpecker or whatever, but middle age has found me deeply enamored with trees. Trees, which make space for each other through the phenomenon of crown shyness. Trees, which through interconnected root systems cooperate for resources as well as compete with them. Trees, which along with other plants, dominate the planet, comprising over 80% of Earth's life by mass.
So as the weather has begun to warm, I've been outside more. Most of the trees are still barren of leaves, but a few buds have emerged. Each year, when Spring returns, I am reminded that the metaphor of Spring is tired but apt: Nothing lasts forever. Not even winter.
I hope it's temperate in your neck of the woods. The next time you find yourself in the shade of a tree, please say hi for me.
John
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This Week in Stuff
Melbourne hosted a cake picnic with a “no cake, no entry” rule. (Instagram)
Howtown discussed the Moon's weird origin story. (YouTube)
There’s a new statue in the spot where a dog was saved from drowning by people who formed a human chain to pull him to safety. (Instagram)
A friend group celebrated a birthday by dressing as birds and throwing a “bird day party.” (Instagram)
Celebrate Goodall Day on April 3rd, Jane Goodall’s birthday, by doing good all day! (janegoodall.org)
Please send us stuff you think we should feature to [email protected]
Outside rich countries, widespread informal work means unemployment rates are low
Esteban Ortiz-Ospina
Last year, three-quarters of the world’s countries had unemployment rates below 10%, according to data from the International Labour Organization. Colombia, where I come from, is in that group.
I initially found Colombia’s relatively low unemployment rate surprising, because it didn’t match what I could see around me: many people doing extremely precarious work.
This chart offers an explanation. It shows, for a selection of countries of different income levels, what share of workers hold informal jobs, meaning work that lacks social protection and basic employment rights (no guaranteed benefits, no formal safety net).
As the chart shows, in Colombia, that share is almost 57%. In many lower-income countries, the share is far higher.
The reality is that low unemployment and widespread informal work can, and often do, happen at the same time. The reason this isn't paradoxical comes down to how these statistics are defined.
To count as employed in labor statistics, a person only needs to have worked for at least one hour during the survey’s reference period, often the past week. The definition is broad and includes self-employment, selling things on the street, and unpaid work in a family farm or family business. Both formal and informal jobs are included.
This means the unemployment rate can remain relatively low in poor countries, not because most workers have found stable, protected jobs, but because many have been absorbed into informal employment.
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This Week at Complexly
Rachel Bilson joins Hank on Ask Hank Anything to ask him why her mouth itches when she eats eggplant, how to stop a sneeze, how there is always room for dessert, and more!
What do you have to do to avoid ironing your clothes? Is it wearing certain materials? Filling the washing machine less? Drying your clothes in a machine rather than on the line? Here's the data!
Some Games to Play!
2025 Connections (by Thomas Colthurst)
SpellCheck.xyc (by Answer in Progress)
This Gubbins postcard was made by Maxim. Send yours to [email protected]
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Our Priorities
Last week, we asked what your top priorities are and how you maintain focus on those things. Thank you to everyone who emailed us!
Right now my top priority is my mental health. I have not been doing well so I have taken steps to remove some stressors in my life. One of the big ones is I don't really get on social media anymore. I spend maybe an hour on YouTube shorts and that's it. And then I have a couple of discord channels I talk to people on but even there I intentionally mute channels. I know that are not good for my mental health. I have now taken that time to start doing things that are good for my mental health like art projects, doodling, reading, listening to music and shooting basketball hoops at the nearby park even though I'm terrible.
My priorities are "Do your reading, go for a walk, take your pills, watch the show you're currently watching".
In order to remember, I have a note called (quite literally) "Stuff You Like Doing", and I check it every day.
Always getting in a nap, especially on weekends
Eating a good, full meal every week
Playing video games to rest my mind
Talking to at least one person in a day (sometimes it’s harder than you think!)
Making sure I’m enjoying life more than I’m stressing about it
I’m in my 20s and my life until now has been school, and as soon as I was able to, to take care of my siblings, then as they got older, to take care of my grandparents. I’m only now learning my priorities are not what others are telling me are important, they’re not what I have to do, my priorities are what I choose. My life is mine, and it is just as important as those I care for. I am learning to be my priority- not my only one, but a bigger one than I’ve been to myself, ever. Today I took a nap! I had things to do, but I felt I needed one, so I took one. Baby steps :)
Like many other people, I'm sure, I'm trying to spend less time scrolling on my phone, so my partner and I have started doing Analog Fridays.
After work on Friday, and for the entire evening until bedtime, we put our phones down and turn off the tv and do something analog. Part of the evening is spent making dinner together while listening to music (we often choose an artist we like and do a deep-dive into their catalog), then the rest of the time can be anything we want: playing board games, reading a book, going for a walk in the neighborhood, organizing or decluttering a room, making something with our hands, etc.
Having a dedicated time where screens are "off limits", allowing us to decompress rather than doomscroll, has been really lovely and we look forward to it every week. Highly recommend!
I try to keep my priority short and simple so it’s easy to keep on my mind. I want to help people. Whether it’s doing extra chores around the houses or giving a friend a surprise gift, I always try to ask myself if I am helping others as it always ends up helping me as well.
Not to say I am always productive or helpful, not by a long shot! But the framing helps me see value even in the small things.
I get to do a job that I love and set my own hours, but that also makes it really hard to not get distracted by all the little things that feel kinda productive but are secondary.
These days, I'm just trying to get myself to my desk as early as possible every morning. Once I open my notebook, the magic happens.
Morning me has to trust that afternoon me will take care of emails, errands, meetings, etc. Evening me has to go to bed on time so that the magic can happen in the morning.
It's hard, but the more I do it, the easier it gets.
Centering silly
Reminding myself I’m a good mom
Watching my baby boy brush his teeth (he finds it absolutely hilarious and fascinating)
Not being embarrassed by my enthusiasm (it’s at a high level)
Before bed I think of something from the day that was good (tonight it’s friends and flowers and my mom)
I pay attention to this stuff by reminding myself to go slow. I practice catching myself rushing for no good reason and instead insert pause and think about one of the above.
I keep a note that reminds me all the people I want to connect with, color coded by those I mean to talk with daily, weekly, and monthly. It is a lot of people, and while I rarely catch them all, the note, at the front of my planner reminds me every day of what matters, fills me with delight, and makes me pick up the phone.
As a chronically ill person, a lot of my goals involve tedious and frustrating tasks that are necessary to convince the right people I'm sick and need support.
If I'm not careful that can become my whole life, so I make sure my priorities also include a range of soul enriching things:
mindfulness exercises
playing board games with my husband
visiting my in-laws and their bouncy puppy (photo included below!)
watching Dimension 20 episodes and Banana Ball games
going to concerts and other events
These things keep me going and remind me that I'm a full human being, not just a walking illness!
You made it to the end!
When you see a tree that catches your eye, send us a photo. We’d love to see it!
Send your tree to [email protected].
