26 Comments
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Brent Hartinger's avatar

Curiosity is the antidote to anxiety! I've written a lot about the tension between the two, but you're saying it better than I ever did.

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Claire Polders's avatar

Thanks, Brent! It's a topic I keep exploring, in my own writing and in what I choose to read.

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John Hammond's avatar

Happy Birthday! Thank you for these aphorisms. They might inspire me to try to write one. Have a beautiful day.

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Claire Polders's avatar

Thank you, John! I hope you will write your own aphorism(s) indeed!

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Lucy Hearne Keane's avatar

Happy Birthday 🥳 Claire. Thank you for sharing your reflections, all grounded in your lived experience. I can relate to them a lot. And I love the pink church. It's like an iced cake.

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Claire Polders's avatar

Thank you, Lucy! And, yes, the church appears quite sliceable.

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Kathleen Collins's avatar

I nodded vigorously to all ten. Number 7 speaks to me especially - as an educator and spouse of an anxious person. And, to be honest, a bit of a monkey mind myself. Excellent advice. Happy birthday week!

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Claire Polders's avatar

Thanks so much, Kathleen!

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Catherine Ann's avatar

Good thoughts Claire.

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Claire Polders's avatar

Thank you, Catherine Ann!

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Brandi Wiatrak's avatar

Happy birthday and I look forward to reading the book!! 🎉💐

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Claire Polders's avatar

Thank you, Brandi! Twice!

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R. S. Hampton, Thriller Author's avatar

Happy birthday!

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Claire Polders's avatar

Thank you!

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Michael Jensen's avatar

Also, happy official birthday!

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Claire Polders's avatar

Thanks! I had some of your chocolate for breakfast!

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Michael Jensen's avatar

I LIKE THE WAY YOU THINK!!!

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Michael Jensen's avatar

I love what you say about regret. I've never seen any point in dwelling on it -- other than what w can learn -- because you can't undo your past mistakes, so why give them more power than they already have?

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Claire Polders's avatar

Yes, until we can travel back in time... Still, I'm thinking now, if regret inspires me to apologize or make amends, it can be useful, too. But then I think we are talking about forgiveness or finding ways to let things go.

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Sherry V. Chidwick's avatar

Brilliant, Claire! I will need to chew each of these tasty morsels slowly. Sorry about your tech/publisher troubles. Although as a writer, you exercised the power to brush the issues off in quick sentences, I know it must have caused considerable stress. Happy Birthday. 💜

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Claire Polders's avatar

Thank you, Sherry! It was disappointing and stressful at first, the glitches, but everyone was so cool about it that I just rolled with it. These things happen etc. Part of the journey!

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Kamiel Choi's avatar

Happy birthday, Claire! Your thoughts are inspiring as always. I remember being very much inspired by Nietzsche too (didn't we go to the same college in Tilburg? My memories are disturbingly vague). It carried me quite a long way, until I realized I am not cut out for an academic career in philosophy. Nietzsche was read as exegesis, the idea that we would create ourselves and improve on him treated as an aberration that had no place in the academy. It became sort of my quest to think vital thoughts but to be funny, too. Combine Nietzsche with that other moustache, Groucho Marx.

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Claire Polders's avatar

Thank you, Kamiel! I studied in Tilburg 1994-2000, took some classes in Amsterdam (UVA) in 1998 and did a semester at the Sorbonne in 1999. I started Sapientia Ludenda along with other students. We must have crossed paths at some point.

Academic Philosophy is surely not for everyone. I like the Alain de Botton route better. Or the Groucho Marx one!

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Lucy Hearne Keane's avatar

I love Alan de Botton too, very accessible writer.

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Claire Polders's avatar

Yes, his books and essays are great.

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Kamiel Choi's avatar

Yes, I remember sapientia ludenda, glad I'm not the only one taking the 'playing' route.

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