Everyone knows how hard it is to get a date when you have kids; it is a well-documented and much-lamented phenomenon. We are no exception particularly because we have so very many children and each child feels like a lot more children than just one because of the nature of their being. There are a handful of people both willing and able to watch our rodent army for a few hours, but opportunities don’t arise too often where we both have the means and the motivation to go out. With this in mind, I have instituted Mini Date.
For five to ten minutes, Michael and I will sit in the car together, sharing a hot pretzel or a soda, and listening to the podcast “Wonderful!”.
If you have not heard of this podcast, it is on Maximum Fun (www.maximumfun.org)--the co-hosts are Rachel and Griffin McElroy, a married couple that talk about things that they love. It is about positivity and it is contagiously joyful and it helps perk you up in the middle of a dreary or frustrating day.
On that format, I was going to talk about a few of the things that I like and that make me happy because it is Monday and Monday is the day that I write. It might not be as interesting to you as it is to me, but hopefully it brings a little bit of positivity to your day, too!
First up: Sun Bears!
My favorite animal are bears--traditionally I like black bears because they are curious and super good, but I go through cycles. Currently in the top spot is a species from Southeast Asia that is one of the smallest bears, only about the size of your average Emerald. Malaysian sun bears, also known as honey bears because they use their strong claws to tear open trees and hives and their extra-long tongues to reach the honey.
Those ridiculous tongues--which range from 7 to 10 inches long--are why they are my current favorite because every picture of them is absolutely, endearingly ridiculous. When they have babies, the mother and father bears may actually live together and co-raise their cubs, which I think is pretty cute.
In general, they are kinda neat, underknown and underappreciated dorks.
The next thing I wanted to talk about was…
Microglia!
Also known as glia or glial cells, neuroglia are support cells that provide protection for neurons. They are my favorite part of the human body, specifically astrocytes (star-shaped cells that, among other functions, provide nutrients to the neurons) and microglia, who are friend-shaped.
The immune system has no business messing around up in the central nervous system, but the brain and spinal cord still need be protected. This is where all the Neuroglia come into effect. Glia actually means “glue”, so neuroglia means “brain glue”. Microglia then means “little glue” which makes no sense, but it is the runtiest of the four types of glial cells. They only make up about 10-15% of all cells found within the brain.
In resting state, they have a little fried-egg shaped body with tendrils going out in all directions, which it uses to monitor the interstitial fluid for signs of trouble. If it senses any inflammation, it sucks in all its tendrils, puffs up (presumably the cellular equivalent of hiking up your britches) and floats around looking for trouble-makers. It could be bacteria or a damaged cell or foreign cells, anything that could be a potential threat.
When it locates the source of trouble, it secrets cytotoxic factors that will reduce the issue to debris, then devours the bits like a deranged and murderous roomba. It has a function called antigen presentation, which is like if your roomba decorated the outside of himself with cheerios and dust bunnies so everyone could see what he had eaten today. Here is a really neat video on the subject if you are interested and want to know more:
https://www.khanacademy.org/science/health-and-medicine/nervous-system-and-sensory-infor/neural-cells-and-neurotransmitters/v/microglia
I just like the idea of this little cell perpetually ready to square up, I guess, but I also think of him as a neat mini shepherd that takes care of his neuron sheep, or miniscule scavenger boys. Their function is not nearly appreciated enough.
I am only going to write about three things today; if this ends up becoming something people enjoy, I may do a semi-regular thing. On to my third thing which is…
Carnations!
When I was in high school, the student council sold carnations as a fundraiser for Valentine’s Day. They were $1 each and different colors meant different things like secret admirer or friend or crush. On Valentine’s Day, class would be interrupted as they delivered individually wrapped flowers. I just loved the way it made the school smell, that delicate and romantic clove-like perfume, and I loved the surprise and joy people had when they realized someone had sent one just for them.
That memory from high school is one of the reasons these are my favorite flowers. Another is I love how they are both beautiful and practical--you can get a dozen for $5 and if you take good care of them, they can last for two to three weeks in the vase.
The name “carnation” could refer to flower garlands, or to” incarnation”, God made flesh. It’s scientific name dianthus means “flower of the gods”. It is one of the oldest cultivated flowers, storied in Christian tradition to have first bloomed where Mary’s tears fell on the road as she watched Jesus carried the cross. This is how they, particularly pink and peach in hue, because associated with motherly love.
Those are my three happyment enducers today; I am thankful that God made long-tongued sun bears, feisty and protective microglia, and delicately durable carnations.
There are so very many wonderful things in the world for us to delight in. I hope your week is full of all such things, and that you get a moment to revel in those good vibes.
—Andie
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