Justice, Fairness, Kindness, and Water
The Body, Brain, and Books: Eleven Questions with writer and activist John Lovie
Welcome to another edition of The Body, Brain, & Books. If you enjoy reading these quick, insightful interviews brimming with wisdom and hope, please subscribe to Beyond.
What are you reading now?
Most of my reading is news or research around my special interests or following my favorite authors on Substack. After spending my days with words in the service of work, reading is not my first choice for relaxation, so my TBR pile is now taller than me! I am working on Angela Findlay's In My Grandfather's Shadow, another perspective on our shared special interest of intergenerational war trauma.
What are your most beloved books from your youth? Did you ever hide any from your parents?
I was a precocious reader. My parents had taught me to read by age four and packed me off to school for the summer term before my fifth birthday. I was awarded a prize at the end of that term, a book, of course. It was called Downy Duckling. I remember it well. The eponymous duckling was sent with an axe and a bucket to collect water from a frozen river, fell through the ice and was left for dead. That probably explains a few things.
I got my first library card shortly afterwards. My future as a scientist was foretold in my preference for non-fiction. A favorite was The Solar System by eccentric British astronomer Patrick Moore. We were only allowed one non-fiction book at a time. The day we returned one, I'd hide from my mother at the back of the library or pretend to look at other books until the librarian put it back on the shelf, then borrow it again. The librarians never called me out on it.
While I didn't read a lot of fiction, if I found an author I liked, I'd read everything they wrote. I now understand that to be a marker of neurodivergence. I'm still the same today. For example, after reading Rene Denfeld’s Beyond Questionnaire, I went ahead and read all her books! Early series were Enid Blyton's Famous Five and such fare, moving up to Sherlock Holmes, and then in my early teens, James Bond, which, yes, I hid from my parents.
In school, we had the English classics - Shakespeare, Dickens, Hardy - thrust upon us at too young an age, and I struggled with them. In later grades, we graduated to twentieth-century authors such as George Orwell, John Wyndham, and William Golding. I found Graham Greene, Anthony Burgess and later John le Carré on my own. These were my formative years, the late sixties, when so much was changing. What these authors had in common, and what drew me to them, was their keen eye for the decadence and decay of the prevailing system.
What’s your favorite book to reread? Any that helped you through a dark time?
I'm not a big rereader, but this question has me thinking that there are some I should go back and reread.
Books have helped me through many times, some of them dark. I've always turned to books and the written word when I've wanted to learn something or needed help.
In Holland, I turned to books to help me learn Dutch and did so again later when I decided to learn Spanish. In both cases, I read mostly fiction. Spanish, in particular, can bring me close to tears with the way the words sing on the page. Cien Años de Soledad opened new worlds for me.
After my parents passed, I became aware that I was spiritually adrift and drowning. I tackled that problem head on as a research project. I read a book on world philosophies, hoping to find one that would fit. I was surprised to uncover that there was a name for my worldview, and that it was Buddhism. The Noble Eightfold Path by Bhikkhu Bodhi was the lifeline that pulled me to that shore.
My childhood library divided books into fiction and non-fiction, and my brain followed suit. Only in the past dozen years have I learned that there's a thing called creative non-fiction! Most books I read now are in that genre, and almost all the authors are women. It's the style that made me want to write, to express myself through the written word, to start my own publication here on Substack.
What’s an article of clothing that makes you feel most like you?
My Patagonia hemp work hoodie. I got it around the start of the pandemic. As soon as I put it on, I knew it would become part of my Pacific Northwest three-season uniform. It pairs well with sweatpants in the winter and with shorts in the spring and fall. I wear it so much I've had to get a second one for "best", leaving the first for projects.
What’s the best piece of wisdom you've encountered recently?
A piece of wisdom that I've absorbed from several sources over the past couple of years is the idea that taking care of my needs is not selfish. It's what I owe not only to myself, but also to those around me, so that I may live in alignment with my values and be a better colleague, friend, partner, and parent.
Tell me about any special relationship you’ve had with an animal, domestic or wild?
I had a guinea pig when I was a kid, and more recently a mouse we rescued from the cat, but it was Layla, our second beagle, who stole my heart. When my daughter came to live with us for a while, she brought her rescue dog, who bonded with our first beagle. They became inseparable, so when it came time for my daughter to move to the City (New York City, that is), it was clear the dog would not be joining her. I would explain to people I met that "she's not my dog. I'm just looking after her till one of us dies."
My daughter named Layla for the Clapton song, aptly as it turned out. She taught me the Zen of unrequited love. There’s a reason they call them rescue dogs.
What's one thing you are happy worked out differently than you expected?
When we moved in semi-retirement from New Jersey to our island home in Puget Sound, I threw myself into state, county, and non-profit boards and committees, mostly on water and environmental issues. A couple of years ago, I quit all of them. At first, I was afraid I'd fade into obscurity. To my surprise, I've found that through my writing and quiet relationship building, I get more done as a freelance activist and writer than I ever did on a board or committee. An email newsletter to keep in touch with a dozen former colleagues has grown into Mostly Water.
Singing in the shower or dancing in the kitchen? Or another favorite way your body expresses itself?
I do sing, and I play guitar. I've even sung in choirs and at open mics, but I'm way too self-conscious to sing in the shower! As for dancing, have you seen the T- shirt "Beer, helping men dance since 1862?" I have that T-shirt. I love to dance, I'm just not very good at it! If I'm listening to music though, especially live music, I can't keep my hands still. I'll be drumming on the table or playing air guitar.
My body likes to move through running, cycling, kayaking, swimming, gardening, cooking, and projects, building things, but perhaps most of all through walking.
What are your hopes for yourself?
That my body and brain hold up!
What’s a kindness that changed your life?
Several people have shown me great kindness. They all have my undying gratitude not just for that, but for showing me the way. It has been modeling their kindness myself that has truly changed my life.
What’s a guiding force in your life?
One of my earliest memories is of being outraged at an injustice, not even to me, but to some other kid. It turned my world upside down to learn that people could treat others unfairly. So, justice and fairness have always been there, to which I’ve learned to add kindness.
If you enjoyed John’s questionnaire, you may also enjoy this one with
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What an excellent interview, thank you Jane and John. Your scooter was awesome and Layla looks amazing. My favorite part of this interview was learning that you tackled spirituality like a research project, I can appreciate this approach! I got a chuckle when you were surprised there was actually a name for your worldview. Well done John, finding your way there and thanks for sharing.
Thanks to you and to John for this glimpse into his warm and wonderful heart. As a fellow lover of sweet dogs, soft hoodies, and Buddhist teachings, his words spoke directly to me!