And is there a best way to say thanks?
Hi, everyone-
I wanted to share a quick reminder about paid-subscriptions to this newsletter.
But first, a word of thanks.
The weird thing about having flown 200,000+ miles in my lifetime is that I noticed one essential thing I just had to first learn upon first landing anywhere: how to say thank you in their native tongue.
I remember, once at a coffee shop here in America, when I got to the front of the line to place my order, the cashier told me that the person in front of me had already paid for my coffee. And that the person in front of them had done it for them. And so on. It was a lovely surprise. Buying someone coffee is a form of thanks here.
It was extra special, because I didn’t deserve it.
But where I grew up, near the super-volcanoes of Sumatra, buying someone coffee is not really that common.
If you’re in a remote area, it’s more common to have people over, then to make them coffee. The whole village-family turns up and does a communal dance, performance, or show. There is usually some laughing. A lot of laughing. The best cut of the week will be reserved for you.
Elders would walk up to you at the end of the evening, and wrap your shoulder with an intricately bejeweled hand-woven garment from generations past.
Where my family is from, we call this garment of honor an ulos. It’s a long shoulder piece that, if paired with the right head piece, will make even your eye-rolling sibling kneel before you, like:
You’re the first king of an ancient civilization.
You can read more about some of these customs in an article I authored, which was featured in one of Sari Botton’s 72,000-readers publications.
I’m based in the US now.
So these days I do just thank someone with a cup of coffee. Or, by simply saying thanks. And maybe this is a sign that extended gratitude is in real danger of extinction?
But recently, some of you had generously reminded me, in the comments, that there is still room for proper thank-yous. Thank you for this reminder.
I spend an average of twenty hours per week on archival materials, research papers, and studying documents for this newsletter. And it’s easy to then feel a false sense of achievement and get a big head.
But the reality is that most of what I do is for selfish reasons: I like to relearn what I think I already know.
And yet, seeing that it aligns with people is admittedly the icing on the cake. With the cherry being the support of those who’ve become paid-subscribers.
Especially because they themselves have gone through a lot, like:
Gigi Nelson, a mom of two minimal-speaking kids turned motor-skills advocate.
Jack Whalen, a former university professor and non-profit fishing field associate.
Margaret Taylor Kane, a visual artist with keen landscape and environmental eye.
David Shaw, an ancestral history writer covering the impact of family trees.
Upcoming for paid-subscribers
If you are curious, here’s what’s on the calendar for paid-subscribers in the upcoming months:
Once you’ve reached the top, can you trust that you’ve made the right decisions? America’s Rocky Mountain deconstructs.
Olympic Village: the architecture of winning and losing with grace.
Independent thinking, according to the Golden Gate Bridge.
The art of becoming irreplaceable: Tree houses where America grew up.
Alphas in Hawaii and Alaska are similar, but not in the way that I thought.
Air Force One: Preserving a bulletproof mind in the age of noise
This newsletter is free. And that’s only made possible by the top percentage of people who contribute to making it such.
So I want to share a supervolcanic thanks to paying subscribers. And to free subscribers for being here.
One day maybe there will be a time when I can fly you to where my family is from, sit you down to a fireside performance from a forgotten supervolcano, serve you the best cut of the molten-warm meal, and wrap you in an ulos-garment that only mountain warriors wear.
But for now, I hope this word of “thanks” will do.
I can’t wait to share more materials with all of you in the upcoming months.
-Thalia
I love that you first learn how to say "thank you" in the native tongue of wherever you land. That's a great idea, I'm gonna steal it! :)
I think it's even more fascinating to think that the word thank you in Bahasa Indonesia, 'terima kasih', would literally mean to accept someone else's kindness / affection. We don't just thank them, we accept whatever they bring too :)