Panic has a way of playing midwife to disaster.

When we react in fear, we sometimes accelerate toward the very thing we’re trying to avoid.

Remember: when we hit turbulence, the solution is not to jump out of the plane.

I spoke to an investment advisor who explained part of his role in this way:

“A lot of what I do is to help people manage fear and greed.”

Zero risk also means zero growth. Total risk could result in total loss.

The consideration feels appropriate for many situations.

As with many things, the wise spot is somewhere between the extremes.

Power without ego.
Influence without tyranny.
Possession without pretension.
Truth without condemnation.
Gravitas without losing humor and joy.

Pope Francis was a model of humility. A model of servant leadership. A champion for the poor and marginalized. May we continue to learn from his example.

In an empty sky, I saw two leaves floating 100 feet above the ground. The wind carried them away in a gentle dance. Meanwhile, countless other leaves remained on the ground, nearly unmoving.

It’s hard to predict which ideas will catch fire. Or which projects will resonate. Or when our words will move mountains.

All we can do is delight and wonder. And to continue trusting our voice, our work, and our participation in creation.

You might ask, “What time are we eating?”

But a better question is: “How can I help?”

* * *

Often, the way to bring about what we seek is to participate in the effort.

Good morning. Or good afternoon. Or maybe you’re reading this at night?

In a way, it matters. There are differences.

Because morning you is not the same as evening you. And Friday at 10:00 AM you is not the same as Wednesday at 1:00 PM you, or late-night weekend you.

Yes, they’re all you.

But we show up in different ways. We have different tendencies in different parts of the day. Different energy. Different levels of curiosity, patience, and humor.

What resonates at daybreak might not land the same way at sunset.

This is all to say that timing matters — in what we put out into the world as well as what we take in.

* * *

H/T: Ajike and Kayle

When we stumble backward, we’re at greater risk of falling.

When we stumble forward, we’re more likely to catch ourselves.

If you have the option, lean in.

Forward is the way.

A wild storm began to blow while I was in the grocery store. Rain, hail, thunder and lightning. The lights flickered, then they went out completely.

Darkness.

Seconds later, a few emergency lights illuminated, and notably — the cash registers.

I couldn’t see, but I’m guessing the refrigerators and freezers were connected to backup generators too.

It was pretty clear: Power’s out, but we can still do business.

It made me wonder: what systems do we keep operational, even during a metaphoric power outage? What habits and routines, what protocols do we maintain? What stays resolute when extenuating circumstances bump everything else off the rails?

What we keep protected — what gets attention during the outage — tells a lot about our priorities.

How do you move a bookstore? One book at a time.

At least, that’s how Serendipity Books did it in Chelsea, Michigan.

A team of 300 volunteers formed two human chains, and for two hours, they passed 9,100 books and hundreds of boxes, hand to hand, down the sidewalk.

Sometimes the most effective way to make a big change is little by little with a lot of helping hands.

H/T: The Sun Times News

“For all that has been, thanks! For all that will be, yes!”

(From the published journal of Swedish economist Dag Hammarskjöld, who served as the second Secretary-General of the United Nations.)

Listen again: “For all that has been, thanks! For all that will be, yes!”

Can our vision be wide enough to feel such gratitude? Can we trust enough to embrace the unknown future?

To be thankful for the good and the bad, the joys and the sorrows. And to be confident and hopeful in whatever may come.

It’s a mindset work considering.

“Won with the first attempt.”

or

“After trying and failing for years, coming so close and watching it slip away, questioning whether victory would ever be achieved … finally won.”

Both stories end with trophies, but one is a tale that will be told for years to come.

A win is a win, but hard-won victories are best.

At times, the pantry is full, but we find ourselves living on crumbs.

We might have even fallen into a crumb-focused rhythm without realizing it.

And yet the pantry is full.

Pause. Take inventory. Soak it in. Then eat.

It’s like the practice of mindful breathing. A deep, belly breath quickly brings awareness to what was an unconscious, shallow pattern.

So take a moment. Scoop a full measure.

Allow yourself to be filled.

Sometimes, all we need is for someone to witness. To be present to us and — if words are spoken — to listen.

Not to solve. Not to advise. Not to comment. Not to fix. Not even to understand.

Only to witness.

That simple presence is an act of love.

Often, it is enough.

And we’re all capable of giving such a gift.

Consider the influence of each:

• A broken finger

• A headache

• A sore elbow

• A herniated disk

• A failing kidney

Sometimes our trouble remains localized. Other times, a local trauma sends ripples through the whole system. Location matters. The network matters.

And there are parallels in the creative process, in our work, and in our personal projects.

The good thing is that the phenomenon can work both ways. The balm. The nourishment. The healing. When certain areas are nurtured, they can change the entire system too.

One of our tasks is to understand ourselves. To identify the systemic levers. And when we can, to invest in those areas that will yield positive change for the whole self.

Foive, fieve, fife, fahv, fie …

I could say the word “five” in many ways. If you hear the context, and if you’re willing, you’ll understand.

That is, we might walk together.

But if your ear is hardened and you’re firm, you won’t hear it. You’ll argue, “I don’t know what ‘foive’ means.” And for lack of perfect articulation and enunciation, the message will be lost.

To have a softer ear, a more sensitive ear, a more generous ear — is to be open to the lessons the world is aching to teach us.

When it’s appropriate, a good mentor has the ability to advise: “You can figure this out by yourself,” or, “I think you already know the answer to your question.”

ChatGPT and other AI models aren’t typically trained to do this. They’re designed to provide answers, not to remove themselves from the process.

And sometimes what we need is to be redirected inward. To seek our answers not from the Robot, but from within. We might even learn that our questions have no answers. Sitting with that tension could be the very thing we need to do.

As I watched a jogger slow to a walk, I wondered what I often wonder from time to time — perhaps have even written about: what’s this moment I’m seeing?

Is he at the end of a short run? Is he finishing a long run? Maybe a 10K? Is he taking a short break before starting again? Maybe he had just been sprinting …

The truth was outside my scope. I only had the story I had invented based on a tiny sliver of time.

And this is like so many experiences in life. We catch an infinitesimal piece of someone’s life. A note within a symphony. And we build a story around what we think we’ve witnessed.

And sometimes I bet we get some of it right. But more often, we surely get it wrong on many counts.

We are storytellers. We’re inventors. It’s part of our nature. But it’s also useful to be conscious of this quality of our creative minds. The stories we tell — based on what we think we see — are stories we’ve written. And it’s easy to end up with more fiction than fact.

Greener every day.

Spring brings new life. Things are growing and greening.

All good news for those awaiting the season’s warmth.

For a small repair shop with a backlog of customers’ trimmers to fix, the green-up can evoke other feelings.

We all have a perspective.

So many celebrations in life are celebrations of life.

The promise of new life. The appreciation of long life. The joy of shared life.

* * *

My mother-in-law is ninety today. She’s an active, healthy, sharp-minded, generous, well-loved inspiration to many. A reader of this blog, too. Happy Birthday! May we all live so well.

If you’re generating ideas and your well has run dry, it’s worth considering what the wider team has to say.

The larger group will have more ideas, different perspectives, and new energy.

They’ll also bring a lot of bad ideas. Ideas you’ve vetted and discarded. Ideas that are a distraction.

But this is no surprise. Measure your expectations. If you’ve filtered through your own bad ideas (to discover viable options) others will need to do the same. Let them. It’s part of the process.

If the good ideas were already known, we wouldn’t be asking for more ideas.