3 YouTube Picks Featuring People Who Give Me Hope and Make Me Feel Better
Thoughts are things and what you concentrate on expands. Fill your brain with goodness.
I deleted Facebook off my phone a couple months ago as an act of self-preservation but understood that FOMO (fear of missing out) habit track had to be redirected somewhere else and I decided that place would be YouTube.
I know, I know, it’s all about the Insta and the TikTok now but my goal was to redirect those FB trained impulses to something more constructive and (perhaps) slightly less addictive. Hence, YT.
To ensure that my YouTube video consumption did not become as anxiety inducing as Facebook, I created some rules. The biggest rule is that the video series had to feature really nice and good people. To that end, I want to share three of my favorites, because they provide me with joy and respite in these stressful times—and sometimes I even learn stuff!
Meet Kyle the Rooster. Actually, you can’t meet Kyle because he and some other members of owner J.D.’s flock of characters had a run in with a predator earlier this year. You’ll be relieved to know he’s since installed a fence and there have been no more casualties. At least you would be relieved if you knew the turkey boys, Jimmy, Randall, and Slate and the two turkey hens, Scarlet and Betty. And the two black ducks, Dark Wing and Cocoa. Whenever Dark Wing comes into the frame a guitar starts shredding. It’s delightful and I love it. There also are three Sebastapol geese, and the white one, a female named Jolie, recently was assigned her own jaunty music. There’s Steve, a Chinese goose with an impossibly long neck. And Pablo, a tan goose. (He’s kind of an a-hole.) There are also a cadre of chickens, Rose, Dot, Phyllis (a black silky), Lilac, and three roosters, Juarez, Brock, and Peanut, and many more. It’s personality plus, plus, plus, and J.D. is a hoot. I love this series and I look forward to watching it, usually right before I go to bed.
Southwest Wildlife Foundation of Utah with Martin Tyner and his beautiful wife Susan. Martin is a federally licensed falconer, eagle falconer, wildlife rehabilitator, wildlife propagator, and wildlife and environmental educator with over 50 years of experience. He has a handsome Golden Eagle named Scout and a Harris Hawk named Belle, which he hunts with. There is also relative newcomer Helen, a Peregrine Falcon who can’t be released because she can’t see very well! She’s learning to be a Wildlife ambassador. The birds and other “critters” who come in for rehab are fascinating, and Martin and Susan are just so wonderful. You will feel good after you watch these videos.
Jeff Horschoff Bees Jeff (aka “Mr. Ed”) is a sweet soul who radiates peace and goodness. Among other things, he rescues bees and so they can become residents of the St. Joseph Abbey where he’s a volunteer. You’ll also meet some other Lousiana bee wranglers (it’s a small community) and best of all you will learn a TON about bees (they are truly amazing) and get to celebrate with him when he finds and captures the queen!
Check them out and let me know what you think. And if you have YouTube goodness to share please drop the link in the comments. I want to know xo hb
I'll check these out - they sound like a nice diversion.
I don't do Facebook or Twitter (decided they were creepy and/or evil early on) and only lurk on IG for design inspiration. (My colleague at SVA did her thesis on IG. Learned a lot about the dark underbelly of Influence.)
Like you, I too decided a couple of months back that I was spending too much time with apps - in my case Scrabble and Bridge. I deleted all games (except for NYT Crossword, which I don't even think of as a game, more like weightlifting for the brain). Redirected the time to fiction. Apple Books likes to tell me my impressive reading stats every day, it's been quite satisfying.