Thought: Last week was Treefort Music Festival in Boise. I love this festival for the ways it brings our community together through music, art, food and joy. You meet amazing people and hear so much music. This year, I decided to volunteer at the festival, which only added to my devotion and admiration for how it brings us together. Over the last 10 years more than 3,000 people have volunteered their time, smiles and talents to make it a success. COVID tried to take this joy from us through isolation but Treefort reminded me you cannot lose community if you have common purpose – music, food, drinks, fun and acceptance. This festival shows who we are as “A City for Everyone.” Come join us in Boise for Treefort 11 next year; you won’t regret it.
Thought: Seth Godin asks in his blog, “If today was a holiday in your honor, what would it be about?” For me, that day would be about doing something creative. I don’t just mean traditional art forms (e.g., painting, music, dance); I mean creative in its greater meaning. For me, creative means imagination, power, vulnerable, meaning, new way and unique. Sports figures are creatives. Engineers are creatives. Politicians are creatives. Teachers are creatives. YOU are a creative.
Try a new idea. Be uncomfortable. Solicit criticism by pushing the status quo. Practice vulnerability. What I want said about me is “He was creative and tried shit.” That’s the advice and legacy I hope to leave each day: Be Creative.
Thought: It’s incredibly hard to find a moment to think. I can’t do it at home; too much laundry, too much Netflix, too much *everything*. I can’t really do it at work with the constant string of Teams messages, emails, meetings, and products. I was reminded where my moments happen: cycling. I used to cycle to work everyday and it gave me the time to work shit out. There’s no ability to multitask or get bored. My routes are familiar so my legs move automatically. The routine lets my mind free up to solve something in my life (e.g., relationship, work, idea). It takes awhile to settle in but once there, the solutions flow easily. I’m not the kind of person who can just grind out good stuff; I need space. What’s your thing where you find flow? How much time do you spend there?
Thought: “The trees that are slow to grow bear the best fruit” by my friend Amy Corriveau quoting Moliere. After some brief research, I’m not sure this quote is entirely science-based but I get it anyways. I’m not patient. I’m ready to move past hurt much faster than the trauma has healed. I’m ready to reconcile relationships quickly when I mess up whether or not they are ready. My world lives in “what have you done lately” with the next project, next proposal, and the next win. Reflecting, nothing meaningful I’ve done has happened fast lasted. That quote is a good reminder than fruit grows from both fast and slow growth but the fruit that’s worthwhile comes from the time to mature. There’s a reason aged spirits and cheese cost more. My new focus is to grow slow rather than grow more.
Thought: I have a tattoo on my arm that says “EBFG”; it stands for Eternal Blue, Forever Green. It’s a reference to a supporters song of the Seattle Sounders, my football/soccer club. A new season is just beginning and some of my favorite memories are from the matches – marching together, singing and supporting together, and celebrating or mourning together. It might be just sports but the connection feels deeper. I’m amazed the impact of a singular, focused time has on the connection with other humans; could be a conference, a meeting, or a task. Focus and relationship drive humans working for the good of other humans.
“The most dangerous stories we make up are the narratives that diminish our inherent worthiness. We must reclaim the truth about our lovability, divinity and creativity.”
Thought:The Help isn’t a new movie but one character and scene impacted me. Aibileen Clark says to Mae, “you is kind, you is smart, you is important.” I can’t help but think how amazing it would be to have “an Aibileen” tell me those words. How long would it take me to believe them them when I was scared or sad? Now I imagine that Aibileen is me – what do I tell me when I am scared or alone or hopeless? What’s the mantra that gets me through those moments and reminds me of my worth? I don’t need Aibileen; I just need me and my words.
Thought: Every morning I can see Venus outside my window before sunrise; it is so bright and clear you really can’t miss it. It’s a reminder to look up and out further but also something completely dependable. The same planets orbit the sun. The same views I get have been seen by humans for thousands of years. And it’s all predictable – we know where the planets will be 10, 100, and 10,000 years from now. Unless something very large acts on them, they keep orbiting the same way. The best part of the human experience is that I don’t know where I will be 10, 100 and 10,000 days from now other than it won’t be where I expect or am expected. I’m not a planet with an orbit. I’m a rocket with course correction.
Thought: I went snowshoeing over the weekend. There are really only two sounds you hear: crunching snow and your own breath. No hum of electronics or appliances. No airplanes or traffic. No music or TV. Even just and hour and a half was refreshing and reminded me how important it is to just listen. So much of my life these days is spent “doing something” with all kinds of audible distractions. It’s easy to forget what my breath and heartbeat sound like in the stillness of nature. Seek some time this week without noise to fill the space; what can you discover when you are forced to breathe and listen?
“When we look at Auschwitz we see the end of the process. It’s important to remember that the Holocaust actually did not start from gas chambers. This hatred gradually developed from words, stereotypes & prejudice through legal exclusion, dehumanisation & escalating violence.”
Thought: This post is in honor of International Holocaust Remembrance Day (Jan 27Â), the memory of more than six million Jews systematically murdered and for my Jewish friends who still suffer discrimination today. Your faith is beautiful.
Thereâs been a lot in the news and social media about what makes children (and frankly their parents) uncomfortable these days. We are seeing curriculum and books be banned from schools â topics like gender identity, slavery, racism, the Holocaust, sexual health, sexism, and consent. The word that is commonly used is uncomfortable. Itâs supposed to be fucking uncomfortable.
Trevor Noah said this week (paraphrased) that if we donât teach how we got to the Holocaust, then it becomes a group of people who just got free pajamas and went to camp. Likewise, if we donât teach about the horrors of slavery, then it becomes laborers working in fields for food, lodging and economics (saying nothing of the color of their skin). If we donât teach about systemic racism, then itâs easy to say âall lives matterâ while watching black children be murdered. If we donât teach about the torture of Matthew Shepard, then it becomes just a bunch of guys messing around that got out of hand. If we donât teach why half our population doesnât have equitable access to health care, then we make laws that result in women suffering and dying. If we donât teach about consent with horrific examples, then we silence the victim and the abuser goes on committing harm.
The problem with turning away from being uncomfortable means that the history you shy from becomes the new future you create. Do better and be uncomfortable.
Thought: Influencers aren’t experts. The consequences of watching a bad movie or buying a crappy coffee maker are pretty low because I read Amazon reviews. The consequence of making medical decisions based on singers, football players or podcasters is pretty high. Like maybe death. Just because I can influence people doesn’t mean I should. Consider where and how you choose to share your advice; it could be more than just a bad day for someone and might change their life permanently. When the consequences get high, find an expert.
