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A piece of wisdom from Nathan House:
”Snazzy is the word of life. To be human is to have an abundance of snazz.”
"Just because your voice reaches halfway around the world doesn't mean you are wiser than when it reached only to the end of the bar." - Edward R Murrow
Labors try to convince us the body is a tool.
False prophets try to convince us the body is a sin.
Cosmetics try to convince us the body is a business.
The body says, “I am a body. Do not tell me what I am.”
How does your body smile?
Let it celebrate today.
When your hands cannot grasp what is given to them,
your eyes give silent thanks.
You are a miracle.
Hands, palm to palm, feel details never never noticed when clasping, shaking, or holding. Palm to palm, we feel each others’ callouses; we feel each others’ softness; we feel each others’ shape.
We talk so often about changing our own perspective to accept all people. We “open our eyes” to them. But what do we do about those whose beliefs are harmful to others? How do we “open our eyes” to them?
Careful with your inside voices; they’re louder than you think.
When you lock up your body,
you lock up your heart.
Every day will introduce new challenges. When challenged, you may experience a variety of natural responses: from frustration, to motivation, to despair, to curiosity. Know that you have control over your response.
The heart and the mind are of one brain. Sometimes they’re just on different wavelengths.
A piece of wisdom from Nathan House:
”Snazzy is the word of life. To be human is to have an abundance of snazz.”
People live up to or down to the expectations you set for them. Strive to expect great things.
Teach people to learn,
not to know.
People will choose what to know
from what they learn themselves.
They will more often forget
what you try to force them to know.
Today I saw an elderly woman headbanging to a classical Latin song.
Those who have crafted the tools needed to build strong relationships must not leave them forgotten in the shed. There are nails to be nailed. Your hammer is not doing much good hung up on that hook.
The window glass got blown out, but the frames were fine. Had anything really changed? Everyone loves the new breeze.
Absurdist questions allow people, regardless of their personal backgrounds or beliefs, to be present with one another, converse, and laugh. There’s beauty in that.
What drives you? What do you respect? What do you love to hate? How do you love? Why do you hope? Why do you speak and when? Why do you listen? Why do you “why?”
”Why” is a question that children understand as an action: to why. Children love to why. Adults get tired of it very quickly.
Why?
Breath will tell you a lot about yourself. If you’re confused and not sure how you’re feeling, listen to your breath. Notice how it’s different when you feel confident or calm. There’s no need to judge how you’re breathing. Merely observe your breath and consider how it informs how you feel.
A short scene for a play (Inspired by a wonderful conversation with Stephanie Engel):
Nick: One question: What do you do when your heart randomly beats too fast? What do you do to calm yourself?
Beth: Breathe.
Nick: I am breathing.
Beth: Breathe deeply.
Nick: It feels like my heart is punching my chest. How do you expect me to breathe deeply?
Beth: Okay…Close your eyes. Imagine the air is fully supporting your limbs. First, it’s holding up just your fingers. Then, it slowly moves up to support your elbow, your arm, all the way up to your shoulder. Your muscles don’t have to do anything. You can let them rest, and the air will hold you up. (Pause) Listen to your heart beat. What’s its rhythm? Imagine it as a musical instrument. Is it a drum? A cello? A trumpet? How is it being played right now? If it’s a string instrument, are the strings being plucked one at a time? Imagine how it would sound if you used a bow instead. Let the bow smoothly glide across the strings, creating a gentle hum.
Nick: (Sighs, almost like a weak hum)
Beth: (Quietly giggles)
Nick: Sorry.
Beth: No. It’s good. (Pause) Better?
Nick: Yeah.
The heart does not forget. It loves. It loses. It pangs. It skips. But it does not forget. Sometimes our mind wants to forget what our heart cannot. The mind may try to corrupt memories in attempts to prevent heart-ache. But the heart is strong. The heart wants to feel all it experiences and fights against the mind’s desire to protect it.
The heart will feel.
Let it.
Something as simple as a name tag can remind you who you are.
Our world is a place in which we periodically get lost. Some are so excited about finding something new that they get lost on purpose. Others are forced into “lost-dom”.
We may find a stranger and ask them for directions and think, “this one person will guide me back to where I was.” Maybe they will. But, you’ll just be back where you first became lost.
The beauty of our world is that we find ourselves again and again in the places we least expect. The winding road is densely populated with Douglas firs and we can’t see what’s ahead or even around the corner.
Know that you’re heading towards something. Know that, with each step, you are moving away from lost-dom. Know that at the end of the path, you will find you. And then you’ll get lost again. Find a way to love lost-dom. It’s where you grow into yourself.
Humans do not break. Rather, they get lost. This is why trying to “fix” someone never works. They’re not broken. Stop trying to fix. Start trying to honestly guide lost ones back to themselves. They will find themselves when they are ready. And that’s okay.
Today, you may feel restless. Time is either passing too quickly or too slowly. You can’t quite put your finger on it. Your heart beat is heard in the tapping of your foot.
Breathe.
Time is valuable, yes. But it can be spent on many things. Today, spend your time on yourself.
Time is the most valuable currency in the world. Listening is the most generous way you can spend it.
Leaders do not force others to fit their ideal. Leaders inspire others to be themselves.
It does not matter who said what. It matters what was said.
Plants twist, bend, and even break just to be in the light. I think humans and plants have more in common than we realize.