As we welcomed the Year of the Snake this week, I took some time to ponder the characteristics of these slithery reptiles.

Welcome to the 99^th edition of The Sunday Spark, a series with weekly thoughts and highlights, nuggets of learning, and a simple living challenge for the week. Along with welcoming the Year of the Snake, this week’s edition looks at Chicago’s big leap forward with renewable energy, World Wetlands Day, the facts about fentanyl and migrants entering the US, and improving our focus by stopping multitasking.

On my mind this week: The Year of the Snake

A few times this week, I found myself thinking about snakes. These slithery reptiles were on my mind primarily because the Lunar New Year celebrations welcomed the Year of the Snake. But then a post by the wonderful Wynne Leon told some stories of her visit to a Reptile Expo with her kids. It seems there are people in the world who like snakes and reptiles enough to keep them as pets, and dedicate a day to attending a Reptile Expo.

I’m kind of ambivalent about snakes. I don’t particularly like them, but I don’t fear them either. That’s largely because, other than a few species of rattlesnake, the snakes in the part of the world where I live are mostly harmless garter snakes or water snakes. If I lived in a country with deadly cobras or other venomous snakes, I might feel differently.

I always find it interesting to read about the Chinese Zodiac symbols at the start of each Lunar New Year. Chinesenewyear.net describes those born in the year of the snake as “a cautious, introverted observer, cool and mysterious in behaviour owing to their suspicious and insecure nature, yet their armour conceals abundant sensitivity, wisdom, and passion that will surely surprise their few confidants.”

A snake in the grass

In western culture, describing someone as a snake is never a compliment. In fact, Dictionary.com defines snake as “a treacherous person, an insidious enemy”. Hmm, why does that bring to mind certain politicians who have been making news in recent weeks? It seems North Americans may be entering their own version of the year of the snake—one without the positive traits of sensitivity and wisdom.

On a happier note, thinking about snakes took me back to my girls’ elementary school days, when we often made field trips to our local nature centre. On those trips, both of my daughters had a chance to make friends with snakes, although Colleen was bolder and braver than Laura when it came to handling the snake.

I wish you all a Happy Lunar New Year. May sensitivity and wisdom prevail.

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Three highlights of the week

It’s important to celebrate big milestones and simple pleasures in life. Keeping the trend going, here are three highlights and simple pleasures of the week gone by:

• I submitted the first assignment for my final Plain Language Project course on Monday. Then on Thursday, I had a kick-off meeting with the organization I’m doing the project for.
• I picked up the latest book in Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series from the library on Monday, and I finished reading it by Tuesday afternoon.
• Milder temperatures this week meant I’ve been able to get out for more walks. On Friday afternoon, big flakes of snow were falling during my walk. So pretty.

Things I learned this week

Life is all about learning. Here are three things I learned this week:

Chicago makes big leap forward in renewable energy

One of America’s largest cities, Chicago, recently announced that all of its municipal buildings are now powered by renewable energy. That includes libraries, fire stations, and the behemoth that is O’Hare Airport.

(Source: The Carbon Almanac)

World Wetlands Day

It’s February 2. It’s Groundhog Day, and also World Wetlands Day—a day to raise awareness of the vital role wetlands play in our world.

Wetlands play an important role in water filtration and flood control, and help regulate the Earth’s climate. And 40% of all plant and animal species live or breed near in or near wetlands.

(Source: Happy Eco News)

Canada is not the problem

I shared this on my Facebook earlier this week but, in light of the decision by the giant snake (of the insidious enemy variety) to forge ahead with tariffs, I felt I needed to reshare it.

I strongly encourage you to read the entire source article from Scotiabank. It’s a worthwhile read for those interested in facts, rather than blatant lies or half-truths, on the trade relationship between Canada and the USA.

This week’s simple living challenge – Stop multitasking

Simplifying life is a big part of living more intentionally. With that in mind, I kicked off the year with 52 ways to simplify your life this year, including a downloadable checklist of weekly tasks.

This week’s challenge is to improve your focus by letting go of multitasking. Science tells us that the human brain can only focus on one thing at a time, and constant task switching actually makes us less productive. Do yourself a favour and say no to multitasking!

I’d love to hear what you think about any of this week’s topics. Drop me a comment below and let me know your thoughts and ideas.