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What is beautiful (2024)?

I am the greatest No fate On the road Squeezy balls

The excitement of visiting again, Seeing how far we've come in 25 years. Strangers lending a hand, with nothing to gain, Sharing chocolate, as way of thanks. Plunging into icy waters, cold and clear, Feeling awake, feeling alive. Reminiscing with laughter and silence, Exceeding already beautiful memories. Reaching the top, aching bodies and empty minds, A sense of connection, once again. Being lazy, just for once, Breathing it all in. Gazing at shooting stars and satellites, Feeling I could touch the universe from here. The sound of silence, vast and endless, Perfect moments with a…

September 20, 2024

Timebanking 2.0

By Robert Woolf

Designing communities Made Open Time4Good

What do most people dream of doing when they deposit their money into a bank or building society? Save it of course and earn tons of interest! 💰💰💰 I can feel my teenage sons rolling their eyes at that sentence! Nevertheless, in this context, to 'bank' something means to 'save for later'. What we’ve noticed at Made Open is that…

September 17, 2024

The grumpy wasp

By Robert Woolf

Mother will they drop the bomb

A few weeks ago, I had a vivid dream about my Dad who passed away in 2022. I stayed awake for hours afterwards, questioning what it all meant. In the dream, Dad refused to help me in a life-or-death situation. This would have been completely out of character for him, obviously. The dream made me question though whether Dad truly…

August 1, 2024

The sky’s the limit

By Robert Woolf

Let love rule On the road The man who planted trees

Back in 1993, I clocked a bloke from across the room wearing a ridiculous Mexican top, similar to the one I was wearing myself. We introduced ourselves and immediately struck up a friendship, week one at university. He had an “everything is possible” vibe which appealed to my “I’m not sure what is possible” demeanour. He saw the world as…

June 22, 2024

The bee in the jar

By Robert Woolf

Mother will they drop the bomb

The poor bee has become trapped in her jar. Bouncing off invisible walls, the flowers outside are still visible but she can no longer smell them. Poor bee is safe in her surroundings. The poor bee struggles to empathise with the busy bees fraternizing and gallivanting from flower to flower. But her achievements outweigh theirs. Poor bee has lived a…

June 13, 2024

The need for a kindness-focused social network

By Robert Woolf

Designing communities Made Open The man who planted trees Time4Good

For me, the dark side of the internet is not some far away terrorist or cybersecurity threat, it’s the fostering of negativity and toxic interactions that have increasingly pervaded our everyday online experiences. These days, when I scroll through Twitter/X, it’s mostly just a stream of angry rants. Facebook is bloated with memes and ads. I like WhatsApp for arranging…

June 7, 2024

Believe in yourself

By Robert Woolf

I am the greatest No fate The underdog

As a small business owner, I make countless decisions and judgement calls every day. Most decisions are minor but, collectively, they all determine the success or failure of our business. Parenting is similar. Each day I make little conscious or sub-conscious decisions about whether to be serious dad, easy-going dad, active dad, role-model dad. These decisions often involve compromises –…

May 17, 2024

An ode to Elaine Hudson

By Robert Woolf

Let love rule

I’ve had many highs and lows in my career. Haven’t we all? The lowest point was being made redundant just hours after my youngest son Sammy was born back in 2007. I’m not kidding. Kathryn and I left the hospital at around 7am and, by 10am, I received an email from my employers making me redundant. But life has a…

April 19, 2024

Circles of trust

By Robert Woolf

Designing communities Squeezy balls Time4Good

In moments of crisis, we often instinctively turn to those closest to us: friends, family, a trusted mentor perhaps. It’s a natural response, seeking comfort and guidance from those who know us best. But what if the crisis is too big for our inner circle to handle? Are there limits to having a small network? Are there any benefits of…

April 1, 2024

The tricky thing about making things.

By Robert Woolf

Jackanory Small is beautiful

This is a story about Aiden's Mum... Once upon a time, in a cozy little town, there lived a happy boy named Aiden. With a heart full of joy, Aiden invited his best friends to his 7th birthday party. Aiden couldn’t wait! He still remembered how much fun he had on his 6th birthday when his friends gave him lots…

February 23, 2024

I eat bullies for breakfast

By Robert Woolf

One angry dwarf

“You’ll be hearing from our lawyers.” These were the bleak words spoken to me last year by a chancer who chose to threaten me instead of reflect on his own bad advice to one of our favourite clients. “Go for it”, I replied. He immediately hung up and I’ve not heard from him since. It was hardly pistols at dawn…

February 5, 2024

Purpose or profit?

By Robert Woolf

Made Open

There’s a story in ‘Better Call Saul’ (sequel to Breaking Bad) where Kim Wexler, a top attorney who’s tired of corporate work, chooses to provide free 5-star legal support to those who cannot afford it. The problem is: Kim finances her philanthropy through corrupt endeavours. Most people in real-life would never entertain such practices (lol). This got me thinking: can…

January 30, 2024

The fastest grandad

By geoffmuskettwib

I am the greatest

I am in my 40s and have a passion for sports. I play football and handball. I cycle and run. I take pride in my 'speed ego', which essentially means I enjoy being faster than anyone I know. For all this, there's a somber and inescapable fact looming over me that I'm unwilling to fully acknowledge: my sporting competitiveness and…

January 28, 2024

The old lady and me

By Robert Woolf

Time4Good

This is a story about destiny, The story begins in search of a key. “It’s lost”, she said. “I don't know who to phone”, “Please help me”, she sobbed. “I live all alone”. I was 19, a student at the time, Cycling in the dark it was well past 9, She stepped into my path and made her plea, I…

January 27, 2024

How to hug

By Robert Woolf

On the road

The heat in Delhi and Jaipur was relentless, but it soon gave way to a refreshing breeze as the sleeper train chugged its way up the Himalayan foothills. The long journey offered little to do other than listen to music and play cards. Every now and then, we'd dangle our feet over the train's edge. It was wonderful. A few…

January 25, 2024

If not now, when?

By Robert Woolf

No fate

“I want to write a book”, I said. “Oh yeah, what about?”. Aegir didn’t look up from his plate, giving the impression that my lofty ideas were a well-worn topic in our friendship. “Oh I don’t know”, I mused, “changing the world?” Aegir lowered his fork, took a moment, and cleared his throat. It was October 2002, autumn half-term. Being…