Month: November 2021

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Broken Bits

“As human beings, our job in life is to help people realize how rare and valuable each one of us really is, that each of us has something that no one else has – or ever will have – something inside that is unique to all time. It’s our job to encourage each other to discover that uniqueness and to provide ways of developing its expression.” – Fred Rogers

Did any of you brave it out on Friday to see the bustling crowds at stores or the mall?  We did.  I’m a glutton for punishment I suppose, but I do enjoy the excitement, festive mood and the occasional good deals.  To be fair, there was much less this year.   Especially the crowds and the good deals, but the festive mood was still there. Regardless, it was a fun date with my sweetie to parade around the town and spot a good deal or two.

We started putting up Christmas decorations even before Thanksgiving, but this past weekend was the final sprint. Trees, lights, candles and greenery now adorn every room in our house and even flow outside. Present boxes, sweets, music and greeting cards begin their annual appearance.  And, as some of you know, it was the first candle lighting of Hanukkah last night.  As the days grow darker and a bit gloomy, the warm glow of the candles, fireplace and the Christmas lights are healing salves to the soul.

I’m clumsy.  I love helping set up the trees, string the lights and set out the decorations.  But in the process, I manage to bump things and there is the evitable breakage.  I was setting up a small tree next to our dining room and added a small string of LED lights.  It was a low-cost variety and had that irritating 60Hz strobing.  I decided to solder in a rectifier, which did the trick, but in the process, I knocked over one of those big LED-lit candles we have.  It fell to our unforgiving tile floor and the wax broke into bits.  

“Oh great,” I said to myself and then heard the expected, “What did you break now?”  My poor motor skills are well known to my family so they came into the dining room to see the show. They managed to piece the candle back together.  To our surprise, the candle still worked.  The glow of the light in the candle warmed up the entire cylinder and to our surprise, created a marvelous new display, illuminating the cracks and casting new shades on the surface.  It was beautiful!   It looked like a landscape wrapped around the candle, with dramatic shadows to create depth.  The result was a natural and unique work of art that now sits on the shelf.  The broken candle created something new, giving inspiration and perspective that didn’t exist before.

We are all broken.  We all have cracks.  We experience hurts, failures, disappointments, physical limitations, mental struggles and other self or externally judged imperfections.  As my youngest often reminds me, especially when my obsessive compulsiveness kicks in, “Nobody is perfect.”   She is right! The reality is that part of our immeasurable value and enduring purpose is the incredible uniqueness of our seemingly broken bits.  Where we are fractured, the light shines through us best.  Glow!  We are creating something new by embracing who we are, striving yet shining. Our uniqueness gives inspiration and perspective that didn’t exist before.  Don’t hold back.  Be the best “you” you can be and shine!

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Rafting Down the Stream of Time

Did you notice it?  We often wish for more time in the day to get things done.  Yesterday we got it!  Sunday was 25 hours long.  I don’t know about you, but the only part I noticed was the extra hour of sleep.  Of course, to pay off this luxury, we will suffer a 23-hour Sunday in the Spring.  That is, of course, unless we suddenly manage to retire Daylight Savings Time.

The stream of time keeps going on.  It reminds me of my childhood when we would go river rafting.  We would find a mountain stream in the Ozarks and launch our rafts at the headwaters.  It would be early in the morning as the sun was just coming out.  There would be dew on the leaves and the air would be cool and crisp.  As we would float downstream we encountered areas that moved quickly.  We would hit the churning water of the rapids with loud and heart pounding excitement.  Frantic and vigorously we would paddle to steer clear of the approaching boulders, tree limbs and perilous drops.  

There were times when the stream would slow to a crawl and the water would become like glass.  We would hear the birds and wind gently whistling through the trees.  It was like time and the stream just nearly stopped.  We would still paddle to stay on course, navigate the river bends and slowly make progress.  Occasionally we would just simply glide along, letting the energy of the stream carry us forward.  Or we might steer the raft to the shore to rest, warm up in the sun, eat a snack or just relax.  Those are some of my favorite memories. They were beautiful opportunities to soak in the views and drink in the sounds. 

Life throws a lot of variety at us.  There are twists and turns.  There are times of rest.  There are moments of chaos.  Sometimes we face the rapids head on, quickly navigating and strongly reacting to the dramatically unfolding challenges before us.  At other times we get to glide and enjoy the serene and beautiful moments.  In all those moments, we have a choice.  We can actively participate in the journey, paddling our best to navigate the adventure.  And at other times, we can pull up our oars and enjoy the scenic serenity of living in the moment, frozen in time.   Make sure you do both.  

Enjoy the trip!

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Major and Minor Chords

Boo!  Trick-or-treat was a blast this year. I love seeing the neighborhood kids, and sometimes their parents, all dressed up for the occasion.  While some safety measures were still in place, it was great to see some return to normalcy even if it was a street full of super heroes, princesses, goblins and ghosts.  

I don’t know about you, but I start buying candy way back in September, most of which is trick-or-treated even before the first costumed characters arrive at our door. In fact, so much so that I usually have to make several subsequent trips to the store to get more.  I figure it is all good UAT (user acceptance testing) so we deliver a quality experience on Halloween night. Based on the pounds of candy invested, we nailed it!  Of course, the weight scales have a different opinion about the outcome. 

Bring on the fall decorations!  Christmas and holiday decorations have been on display in most retail stores for the past several weeks.  But before we light the candles and trim the trees, we must past through the season of thanksgiving.  I love this time of year!  The next four weeks are a great time for reflection and gratefulness.  Yes, it is a wonderful time of family, friends and food, but it is also a time of remembering.  This past year has been a challenging time for all of us.  Major life events and minor inconveniences added up to a sum of substantial challenges for many of us.  Yet through the journey there has been incredible moments of celebration, accomplishments and learning. 

Life is like that.  It is a composition of major and minor chords.  Sometimes you are soaring on the high notes, ringing warm with the delight and optimism that the major chords bring.  Then suddenly, tragedy or setbacks strike and the strings ring a cold, somber and sad march.  Yet in it all, there is a beauty.  The shadows of the gloomy mood are overtaken by the next soaring melody.  We overcome.  We sing new life into the darkness and transition our way to the next mountaintop anthem.  Looking back, we see the journey and the score that was laid down behind us.  Remember it.  It is part of our experience, a bit of who we are and the personal soundtrack of our life’s story.  Change it.  As the conductor, we have the opportunity to set the next measure.  Write it.  Enjoy every section that makes up our life.  We journey this way but once.  Don’t miss the concert!