Silence, chernuka, skin exams

Meditations on snow

Welcome back to Down-To-Earth by Jenna, fun chats about your offline world •

Here are three things that I’m thinking about this week:

• Silence: In the Age of Noise: Norwegian adventurer Erling Kagge has been to the north pole, the south pole, and the summit of Mount Everest. He also wrote this tiny gem of a book on silence that I read on Friday night after my dear friend Amy made me swear to (thanks Amy, you were right). It’s worth it not only for the meditative passages that make you reexamine your relationship with silence, but also his descriptions of the colors of snow.

“I believe silence is the new luxury. Silence is more exclusive and long lasting than other luxuries.”

Photo from my time with scientists in the arctic circle in Abisko, Sweden in 2019. It really is that blue there.

• The abandoned pets comforting Ukrainian soldiers: What’s missing in all these political articles is the day-to-day lived experience of Ukrainians who are deeply worried right now, in their own words. This video shows a glimpse of that, and the sweet dogs and cats who have now stepped in where people, and governments, haven’t.

“When you’re coming back from your post you lie down in bed and Chernuka (the cat) comes over and lies on your stomach. It’s like saying ‘Pet me. Put away your phone and pet me.’ It’s a sedative.” - Dmytro, Ukrainian Soldier

• “90% of skin cancer is 100% in your control:” There are more cases of skin cancer each year than all other forms of cancer combined. But that’s way less scary and totally not a big deal if you catch something weird early. If you get checked yearly and keep a good eye on your body, take a look at your spots today.

If you have never gotten a head-to-toe skin exam with a dermatologist before, or it’s been a while, this is the time to schedule one. Think of it also as a good excuse to ask a derm about something you’ve always wanted to ask a derm about, like scalp stuff, acne, wrinkles, cellulite, itchy toes, deodorants, allergic reactions to mysterious things, you name it.

If you schedule a skin exam with a dermatologist today and reply here and let me know that you did, I will mail you some surprises from Amsterdam, (including the latest Postcards from Jenna postcard).

To your week forming a long lasting habit of wearing sunscreen and getting yearly skin checks,

Jenna