WTF is going on in the US?
I know that many of us are unnerved by what we’re seeing in the world around us.
Every hundred years or so, we’re faced with the same lesson, and we’ll continue to do so until we answer it correctly, by learning from our mistakes, by listening to the oppressed, and by blazing a more courageous path forward than we did the last time.
Today was hard…
And not just because it’s the shortest day of the year.
I know I talk a good bit about light and how important it is for all of our functions… but that’s not limited to the light from the sun. Some people are full of light, too.
When I first started thinking about 2018, my body, spirit, and mood just sank a bit. It’s been a very difficult year on a number of fronts.
After centuries of silence — or in many cases, speaking out, but not being heard — we’re in the middle of a cultural norm pendulum swing that is necessary, ugly, painful, detrimental, and probably the only way up from where we’ve been.
I’ve always learned a lot from listening to my elders, so I figured that for my birthday, I’d like to pass along a little cheat-sheet of things I hope you can learn from me (elder or not).
I’ve learned a lot about people, behavior, and the ways we make decisions over the years.
I’m definitely still learning, but once in a while, I find it helpful to stop and share some of these things with others.
I had an epiphany a few months ago, but in order to give it context, I need to tell you a story.
It’s a story that few people know — not because it’s a secret, it simply doesn’t come up in conversation very often.
We’re f**king adults.
If your year has been anything like mine, you’ve buried more people than you thought was possible in a 12-month period, most of which were surprises, all of whom were significant.
Hard to say.
I can tell you all about how I experience love, but I can’t tell you much about receiving it.
Even as a child, if something scared me, I’d take a moment and determine whether that fear was warranted (e.g., approaching two bear cubs while hiking) or not (e.g., jumping out of an airplane while strapped to someone who’s not only extremely skilled, but also fairly interested in living through the experience).
In the absence of an ailment that gets in the way, learning comes as naturally to us as eating, and only two main things are needed for either:
These deceptively simple words tell you all there is to know about me.
The idea is to live with what I need and to help others gain what they need.
Simple, right?
So what happens when you realize you have way more than you need?
Here’s the story behind it:
When I was a kid, the four of us — mom and 3 kids — spent a good bit of time traveling by car back and forth between two states. (Moving doesn’t always go as smoothly as you’d like.)
If I’m going to wear a symbol, if it’s supposed to represent a relationship, or our commitment to it, I want a ring that tarnishes.
It’s painful, sad, unpleasant, lonely, scary, relieving, necessary, and something no one should have to suffer through quietly or alone — but we do, all the time.
June 14 – 24, 2013
You may have heard that Filipinos are some of the happiest people on earth. I believe that. My hope is that it rubbed off… sort of. More like, I hope I remember everything I learned about myself while I was there. They showed me the frequency at which I resonate.
I saw beauty, kindness, ingenuity, compassion, community, aggression, and happiness. I thought that when I left the Philippines I was leaving all of that behind, but I carry my little portion with me every day.
