When I buy wrapping paper, I buy it at the dollar store or on sale. The reason is that wrapping paper has almost no value in my eyes. It must meet two criteria: functional and appropriate. Other than that, it is just the mask that the gift wears before it is uncovered. A great gift makes up for horrible wrapping, the reverse is never true.
The best gifts have value regardless of their wrapping. The same goes for people. Many people spend all of their time on the wrapping. They’ve got the right clothes, watch, car, hair and cellphone but spend no time on their heart, empathy, love, respect or intelligence. They are empty eggshells.
In the world that keeps showing up on the news, we need to double down on the gifts and forget about the wrapping. People are dying over the wrapping because we have forgotten that there are gifts within all of us. Just remember that there is no “they”. They can’t fix this issue because “they” don’t exist. There is only you, me and us. Perhaps I live a world away from the problem but the way that I treat you will make each of us try to do better. If enough of us acts in this way then maybe we have a shot. Give people the best version of yourself, so that they can give you theirs back.
Have a great Monday!
Don’t give me a hard time! I’ve got kids! However I wanted to draw attention to the subtle beauty of one of the aspects of Disney’s brilliance. Almost all of Disney’s truly iconic films have a catchy tune that works its way into your brain like those bugs in “The Wrath of Khan”. If you’re not familiar with that movie but have gone on “It’s a Small World After All” at Disney World, you know exactly what I mean. The ability to have a song from a movie get stuck in the consciousness is priceless. The problem is that things like “Bippity boppity boo” are not what we want to have swimming around our heads for hours. I truly apologize if I just did that to you.
Roadkill is not usually something memorable. In fact it is usually something that we want to forget as soon as possible. Flattened skunks or broadsided deer do not create fond memories but rather revulsion and disgusting smells. On my latest run, I encountered this unfortunate fellow who seems to have been hit by a car at full stride while crossing the street. I happened upon him only because I was feeling particularly winded and slowed down to walk for a moment. After stopping just long enough to take the picture, I got back into my run with renewed vigor. My furry little friend had reminded me of something in that instant and I knew that I had to press on. The intriguing thing was not the cause of death but the cause of the stride.
We are in essence prehistoric animals. The core components of our brains are basically the same as that of a lizard. Although we have the capacity for higher level thinking and reasoning, when faced with certain threats, the reasoning part of our brain gets short-circuited or overridden by our reptilian brain. The response of fight or flight is an instinct. In the modern world, we do our best to act as if we are civilized and rational. The problem is that when push comes to shove, we literally forget logic and go to our most primal reaction.
As anyone who has ever read my blog knows, the reason that I start writing anything is to help myself through a struggle. I publish them in the hopes that it may help someone else. I’ve not written in a long time. The main reason being is that I’ve been lost for a while. So many different things have happened or not happened in the past few months that I’ve lost my sense of direction. This has helped me create many feelings that are uncomfortable to wear on a daily basis: uncertainty, confusion, timidity but more than anything fear. The odd thing about this mental situation is that I don’t have the same reaction to physically being lost. In fact, I believe that it is almost impossible for me to be lost in the physical world.
After considering my belief about the act of being physically lost, I’m finding that I’m less fearful of my present situation of being mentally lost. In the mental space, I create the terrain. Since it is all up to me, I can always choose to be surrounded by a triangle of three things that I know: my family, my friends and my perseverance. At no point can I be lost if I have encased myself in those three things. So now it is time to get back on the path or create a new one. Regardless of which I choose, fear is not going to be my compass. I’m excited by the prospects of where I can go. Just because I don’t know the path, does not mean that I need to fear the path. Hiking harder or possibly farther does not scare me but the thought of being immobilized does. One foot in front of the other may not be the sexiest concept ever invented but it will get me going.
Huryk Unlimited 