genuinely cant stop thinking about whatever early human first looked a literal wolf full in the face and thought domestication would be fun but ALSO cant stop thinking about the ENTIRE early human tribe that absolutely did NOT think to stop them
HOLD THE PHONE
Slightly related: I read a book by Rick McIntyre, who was official Wolf Guy at Yellowstone Park for 25 years (and studied wolves for 40 yrs total). He describes how, when they’re alone, wolves—both adults and pups—will pick up sticks or bones or bits of animal skin and toss them around to entertain themselves, the way you might toss a ball up and down. They essentially play catch by themselves.
So if wolves do this by themselves, in nature, that means that we saw them playing this game and thought “huh, that wolf enjoys fetching the stick it’s throwing for itself, maybe I could throw it further and it would like that more?” And thus began our two species’ mutual favourite game to play together
Stardew Valley is perfect because it understands what people really want. To eat vegetables and live self-sufficiently in a town full of hot bisexual people.
I heard an interview, can’t remember the psychologist, but he was explaining this idea and encouraging people to stop and take a deep breath and literally drink in small moments like you’re a dryass plant when something is ever satisfactory, positive, mildly successful, randomly joyful so your brain can code and integrate that experience because our natural lizard brain will quickly tape over it with mostly unnecessary negative survival shit. Sounds dumb and dorky but sometimes I remember this when I’m feeling good about a moment because our cave brains are still catching up with modern life without sabertooths. I like that it’s not just a pollyanna gosh just be more positive thing but more of a legit brain wiring phenomenon can be gradually hacked through small behavioral changes.
Another super important one: Take the time to tell yourself, when something you did or bought or decided works out “That was a good decision and I’m glad I made it! Go me!”
Seriously, it can have a huge impact. suddenly you go from remembering nothing but bad decisions to adding in a series of Excellent Choices You Feel Good About, and it makes things so much better.
i feel like people got so weird about age gaps in this very abstract sense that now there’s this taboo about being friends with someone who’s a few years older or younger than u….like, i have friends in their 70s and i have friends in their early 20s and im always friendly with teenagers & kids too because they all deserve to have adult friends in their lives who they can trust! other people projecting their gross shit onto those friendships is not my problem
guess what! its good for us to have intergenerational friendships actually! its good for all of us to have healthy, friendly, respectful relationships with people of different ages! it works in all directions!
seeing people older than you as Peers instead of Untouchable Authority Figures prevents abuse actually
resting in the forest clearing 🍃 (sidenote: diedre is like, the zoomiest villager i’ve ever had on my island?? like she’s ALWAYS running around. she even out-zoomies dom!!)
