I am grateful for people – nice and mean
Fortunes – good and bad, I love
I appreciate the pleasures, they’re pleasing
But pain brings growth and is never ceasing
So accept it all!
life
Fast and Slow
There are things you ought to do quickly: running races and putting out fires come to mind.
But most things are better done slowly and with full presence: eating, visiting with friends and family, petting your dog, folding laundry, washing dishes, drawing scary rabbits…these daily activities are what make up the vast portion of your life.
Twigs and Bones
When I walk among the trees,
I drink in the rays of light
that peek through the leaves
and my feet crunch the “dead” things
but they are not lifeless
see here?
insects march and work
fungus and lichen exchange food
the twigs lie in wait
to service fires and soil
and you are not dead – never were –
your spirit lives on in everyone you ever met
Something New
If you want something different, do something different.
Now.
Don’t wait.
No excuses.
Take baby steps if you need to, but do it.
By the way, you’ll have to make a sacrifice or two. You’ll probably be a little uncomfortable. This is why most people don’t reach their goals: They don’t want discomfort and they don’t want to give anything up.
Will you stand out?
Wherever You Go
G is for Geography
Davenport, Iowa
my childhood: pizza and friends, rollerskating rinks and birthday parties, and
Tae Kwon Do
DeKalb, Illinois
my high school years, academic stress, Madonna and Prince, cornfields, detassling, Del Monte factory
Rochester, New York
holy-crap-cold, ice storms, tunnel systems, hibernation, isolation, spring, independence
San Francisco, California
Real freedom (!), real work, KKSF Radio, banking, teaching, marriage, babies, house, traffic
Mesa, Arizona
Culture shock, new home, dry heat, sweet violin music, educating, new friends, cancer, husband’s lay offs, writing, and stillness
*part of alphabiography series
Laziness #3: Pema Chodron
Chodron’s third kind of harmful laziness is the “Couldn’t Care Less” form. This is a harder, tougher version of “Loss of Heart.” For in this type of apathy, we are hardened and angry at the world. We are “aggressive and defiant.” If someone tries to cheer us up, we lash out at them. We use “laziness as a way of getting revenge.” But really, we hurt ourselves the most.
Until we decide to investigate and objectively look at our intentions, we will continue this destructive pattern. We will continue to have our “problems”: health, relationships and career.
It’s simple, but not necessarily easy. Sometimes, we don’t want to “get real.” We are comfortable in our habitual patterns of laziness. But the benefits of doing the work will greatly outweigh any temporary comfort.
Clientele
My husband is a project manager for a commercial construction company. I’m a 5th and 6th grade English teacher.
This morning, over coffee, he says, “Some of my clients seem to think we work magic.” [He was about to complain about their unreasonable demands.]
“Some of our clients seem to think the same thing,” I say.
Are You Chicken Little or the Road Runner?
When I worked at a startup company years ago and things got stressful, my supervisor would wail, “We’re just set up to fail!” She cried real tears once, when it looked like we were going to miss delivering our McDonald’s Kids’ Meal prize on time.
The deadlines were tight and stringent. “We’re set up to fail!”
There was a bug in the system. “We’re set up to fail!”
The art department misunderstood the engineering department. “We’re set up to fail!”
In actuality, she meant, “I’m afraid we’re going to fail!”
In the end, the entire startup did fail. But our department never did, we simply met our goals with a lot of stress. The constant cry of the “sky is falling” unnerved the team. Projects that could have been accomplished with fun and enjoyment were, instead, completed in solemn urgency.
Isn’t this what many people do at work and life? Aren’t a lot of people motivated by fear? Fear of failure, fear of losing money, fear of losing face.
People can be motivated by fun and awe and still get it done.
If You Build It, They Will Come
Our daughter played in a symphonic concert tonight. She’s almost 14 and is very active in several orchestras at the moment. The symphonic group she played in tonight celebrated their 50th anniversary this year. This group is a district group, including all the kids in the city who audition and make it. The kids then come to three different rehearsals of 2 hours each. They perform in the local Ikeda Theater for parents and friends. Admission is free.
Wayne Roederer started this program 50 years ago. He has conducted and started many programs and just retired two years ago. He conducted one of the groups and spoke to the parents, his voice breaking with emotion. “It was a joyous experience for me,” he said, “to work with your children. It was well worth missing Judge Judy for several days.” We all laughed.
The kids played with pride. They moved to the music.
Afterwards, we spoke with him. We congratulated him and told him how we appreciate his work. He said that he has worked with children who grew up to be adults who started orchestra programs of their own and now those kids have grown and are starting programs…
What might appear to be his legacy at first glance: the kids he worked with directly…is much more than that. This man has literally influenced thousands of people.
One man. An idea. And many helpful hands, parent volunteers and eager students. That’s all it took.
You are one person. You have an idea. Start building it…people will help you.
Can Work Be Joyful?
“I don’t know what I’m passionate about! How do I find my passion?”
How about starting with a list of things you would do for free? Make a list. Don’t censor yourself.
You can also try to remember what you enjoyed doing when you were eight years old. Add those activities. Nothing is too silly.
I’d love to hear what you come up with. How can you incorporate this into your work?
Kismet 