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Extend Grace
“I cannot cure my own blindness.” Anonymous If you were a child of the 70s, or perhaps were raised by one, you are likely familiar with “Schoolhouse Rock!”, the short, educational cartoons that punctuated Saturday morning television. To this day, I think I learned more about grammar from those segments than I did in school (nod to the virtue of a catchy tune and relatable narratives to convey a concept). Fast forward forty-ish years, unpacking our adjectives remains central to how we relate to the world around us. We have good days or bad days. We like foods that are salty and/or sweet. The tricky thing is how relative our…
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Gimme a C…or Two
“So I turned myself to face meBut I’ve never caught a glimpse”–David Bowie, Changes In the last month, I completed the final exam in a multi-part certification, a new school year started for the kids, and graduate school began for me. Add to that, the first week of the month I was on the road, and this week I learned of an unexpected job change. Changes. While some of these events were a surprise, most of them were planned, and I was challenged by a gauntlet of activity. Nothing unique here. Everyone is busy. The question is how to stay true to ourselves in the face of wearisome circumstances? There…
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All Beings Being Equal
+ If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter, for always there will be greater or lesser persons than yourself. — Max Ehrmann, The Desiderata To heed Ehrmann’s warning, let’s begin with a definition. Compare – verb 1. To examine (two or more objects, ideas, people, etc.) in order to note similarities and differences. Comparing does two things that run counter to deep connectedness and community. First, by definition, comparing ourselves to another separates us (i.e. we cannot compare a thing or person to itself.) Second, because comparing objectifies us and others, it’s inherently dehumanizing. We become the objects, figuratively speaking, of comparison. There is a…
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Quiet and Clear
Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even the dull and ignorant; they too have their story. — Max Ehrmann, The Desiderata Everyone has a story. Some are beautiful; some are funny. Some are painful and even tragic. Most life stories contain all of these elements in their turn. As humans, we are storytellers. It’s how we inform one another about who we are and who we want to be. Inherent in the creation of our narrative comes the need for it to be heard. From PhDs to Pinterest, the world is full of references to our need for attention, approval, acceptance, allowing, and affection. Acknowledgement is my…
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Namaste
“As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons.” — Max Ehrmann, The Desiderata The second half of this Ehrmann quote is one of those master of the obvious statements. Wanna be happy? Be on good terms with all persons. (Um, duh.) But working backwards, it gets more interesting. “As far as possible, without surrender…” The reference to surrender demonstrates the Ehrmann’s understanding of the human condition and the resulting truth that we will have conflict. People driven by fear, ego, and instincts that have over-rotated in their desire to be met will seek to dominate one another. Now and then, this warring nature manifests as…
