Tip of the iceberg

To lead diversity workshops at my university, we learned to employ an ice breaker prior to facilitations involving student discussion of a contentious topic.

For instance, a minority group on campus might want to open up a dialogue about the merits and demerits of affirmative action.

courtesy

So we'd start the workshop with a large sketch of an iceberg up on a chalkboard, dry erase board or piece of butcher paper. Then we'd ask students to point out the obvious - characteristics about members of the group that were apparent at face value.

These were "tip of the iceberg" characteristics. They were all students at the same school. They were all members of the same race or ethnicity, which was pretty clear by the color or their skin, and perhaps some other shared physical features, not to mention that they were all members in good standing of the "____" Student Alliance/Association/Union, etc.

Then we talked about "under the water" characteristics, or those that make up 90% of who we are, just as the bulk of any iceberg is hidden under the surface waters breaking around it. The facilitators might share something revealing about themselves at this point – their religion, their family situation, or something else that most certainly would set them apart from what, otherwise, might appear to be a homogeneous group of students all attending the same school (Go, Johnny Hop!). Members of the student group/alliance/association/union would join in, sometimes revealing differences they'd never told anyone before, but always pointing out that, as much as was evident about their conformity, this group of students was really a group of individuals, full of hidden depth and identity.

What the exercise did, in the case that it was being used to open up an affirmative action debate, was to build transient respect. In a sense, it was a cheap trick to tame the crowd, because once you know someone's dad died when they were little, that they've opened up to you like that, you're probably not going to flat out call their idea about affirmative action stupid, self-hating, or anything else less-than-civil, even if you don't agree.

Why the exercise accomplished this is important. While I don't have a degree in group dynamics, I think I know what happens here. When we have even a bit of this underwater view of someone's life, we are no longer capable of 1) "knowing" who they are based on the tip of the iceberg, or 2) seeing them as a "_____" student of the "____" Student Alliance, Association or Union anymore. They are someone with their own name, story, and future, whose thoughts, actions and dreams are shaped by meaning we'll never fully discover.

Maybe he feels that way about affirmative action, because his dad stressed the importance of self-reliance to him as a boy. Maybe his dead dad has nothing to do with it, because he's clearly someone shaped by more than just his color, his school, or even his family. There are a million other reasons for him to see the world the way he does, some of them so sacred to him that you have no right to judge them. And this exercise, in 5-10 minutes, cleared the air - temporarily of course - in just that way.

Out of school (and away from my rewarding role there as a diversity workshop facilitator), I deal with the concept of behavior change all the time. How can an idea be inspiring to a group of people so as to change the way they think and behave? How can I, because of what I know, persuade them to see it my way?

For the most part, I stick to focusing on improving my own behavior. But at times, I'm called to stick my nose in other people's business, when the quality of my organization's work is at stake, or when someone asks for my advice or insight.

All I can say is that, even the best changes in society come slow, or not at all. They're taking place under the radar all the time, waiting for history to mislabel them revolutions. When we wrestle with contentious ideas that can change the world, we're truly working to move mountains inside ourselves and hidden inside others.

I wouldn't discount that there's a reason why people are who they are, try to change it overnight, or be anything less than civil.

Seeing stars

This tiring, tiring weekend I had a better time than I imagined I could.

On Friday S had a work barbeque to celebrate the house warming of two of his colleagues' beautiful new rental home. Their house is gorgeous - with brand new hard wood floors, a pretty, pretty kitchen and a big back yard with a full set of brand new playground equipment (you know, people in their 20's need a good swing set and a slide or two, to keep sane).

I was a bit worried I just wouldn't be up for the party, because it was the end of the week with a bunch of new faces and I had to drive in the worst commute known to New Englanders to get there. But it was a lot of fun! The hostesses made so much incredible food, including veggie burgers with fixings and hot dogs, hamburgers and chicken for the meat eaters. I got to meet a few of the absolutely beautiful (and hilarious) kiddies of S's workmates, talk substance abuse prevention for the second BBQ in a row with S's boss, and stand around a fire pit to warm my hands in the mid-June drizzle. I think it is so neat that S works with a group of young, fun scientists (sorry, you'd think after college I wouldn't be prejudiced, but I am...), that can manage not to talk about filtration for an entire evening just to enjoy each other's company like buddies.

On Saturday S and I got the extreme pleasure of hosting another of his work friends, this one from his first full time job in North Carolina, where his former company contracts with another group in Japan. His guy flew in from Tokyo and knew, I am sure, more about the Boston area then we did! He made up a list of the most famous sites to see from his guidebook, and we, like lost llamas, bumbled around using our GPS, trying to actually drive to them.

We checked out Boston Common, where I was actually a somewhat helpful tour guide, then the skywalk observatory at the Prudential Center, which is a bird's eye view of Boston and Cambridge from all sides, and though it's pricey, it's totally cool too. We went on an overcast day (It didn't get sunny until after the weekend passed, naturally) and we could see every building and green space clearly with no glare. I got such a kick out of being able to identify the most obvious places, like Fenway, Hardvard, MIT and the Charles River.

Next we got seafood and Ben & Jerry's for our visitor, because that's what we're all about in New England, and made our way, slowly and without any sense of direction, to Charlestown to visit the USS Constitution, the USS Cassin, and Bunker Hill.


S and I aboard Old Ironsides 

The hill area reminded me so much of Mount Vernon, it made me crave my camera. Of course, I hadn't brought it along with me, because Saturday was not our day, it was S's friend's day to have fun and to focus on what he wanted to do, see and remember. Me with a camera is always a tedious affair by which those who simply take pictures to document would be bored. M, S's friend, was a documenter; he never took more than 3 seconds to take just one picture of every site we saw. I'll have to go back another day, on my own time, and spend a few hours in Charlestown to show you what I mean. It's beautiful.

I am lucky to have met so many of S's work friends at this point. I am always so pleased that he's well liked by those he spends his days with, and that those who he's closest to are very kind people. We made M promise that the next time he's in Boston, we'll have to take our  first "duck tour" together - for us, after nearly 8 years of living in two cities (Boston and Baltimore) that boast such spectacles. I'm happy that when the time comes, one of S's work friends will be a friendly face to us both.

On third (and last) thought...

...because I think this is the longest post I've ever posted, and because I don't think I have any more thoughts in me tonight!

In the expression of life's journey, Kahlil Gibran may be the best philosopher I've ever encountered. I know most people would say he's more of a poet than a philosopher, but I think poets like Kahlil Gibran and Langston Hughes make the best philosophers.

In his best known work The Prophet, here is what Gibran says "on pain."

And what about Langston on pain? Langston, my Langston. You say it better than anybody:

"Though you may hear me holler,

And you may see me cry--

I'll be dogged, sweet baby,

If you gonna see me die."

Millstone

Today I got really mad. I don't feel it would be appropriate to discuss why I was mad in this public forum, but suffice it to say, I flipped out a little bit both inside of and outside of my head.

And I have to say, that usually when I get mad, my reaction is about 1% righteous, and 99% lack of patience, temperance, and compassion. Usually, I am just a control-freak perfectionist who wants her way and wants it now. This time, I'd say that there was more like a 50/50 split between mad because I'm a fireball and mad because there was no other choice under the circumstances. It is the closest I have felt since I can remember to truly justifiable indignation.

I am a big fan of the loving God who forgives us for how we've wronged others and who never gives up on us. Like alot of people, I used to really hate how Jesus is portrayed going into the temple with a whip and driving the money changers out of the sacred space. And I never will give up the conviction that "God desires mercy, not sacrifice," so that we should not ever fall out of God's grace, no matter who we are, what we do, what we think, how we act or what we believe. I see God never sacrificing a bit of creation when, instead, God's mercy can restore all things.

But today when I was mad, I thought of this:

The disciples came to Jesus asking, "Who gets the highest rank in God's kingdom?"

For an answer Jesus called over a child, whom he stood in the middle of the room, and said..."Whoever becomes simple and elemental again, like this child, will rank high in God's kingdom. What's more, when you receive the childlike on my account, it's the same as receiving me. But if you give them a hard time, bullying or taking advantage of their simple trust, you'll soon wish you hadn't. You'd be better off dropped in the middle of the lake with a millstone around your neck."

...And it made me feel better. Not better because I want the object of my anger to drown. Better because Christ's hyperbolic analogy tells me that when we aim to harm the innocent and weak, or use them as a means to our own ends, we end up destroying ourselves.

This is a hard truth, that ultimately, what we do to one another is both a direct reflection on how we value others, their creator and ourselves. As angry and sad as I was (and am), this harsh reality started to point me back toward a direction where I was reminded that trying to get the most out of others for ourselves leads to the loss of our respect, dignity and morality. Trying to get the most for others through ourselves, on the other hand...

I think there will be forgiveness for all of this. I know I am moving on from my mini-fury session to a process of forgiveness, because that's how my life is best lived. But because life keeps happening, I know there will be more dissapointment, and more millstones we'll be tempted to fasten around our own necks. We're too valuable to weigh ourselves down. We're made valuable so that we might lift others up.

On second thought

I know I won't have time to write a longer post today - it is a full steam ahead work week this week.

But with that in mind, here's another thought - not my own - to add to the "purpose of pain" discussion I posted here earlier.

From a good, snarky thinker too!

"A lifetime of happiness! No man alive could bear it; it would be hell on earth." ~ George Bernard Shaw

Newsies

After investing a good portion of my evening last night, my morning today and some pool time to catching up on world news and current news, I believe I have to conclude that the best news out there is:

The Muppets are making another movie. Perhaps the worst news is that there is no better news?

Ah, well, I'm still very excited.

Happy Sunday and Father's Day!

Pain and Glory

As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned that he was born blind?" Jesus answered, "It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him." John 9: 1-3

I read this passage today within an anthology of teachings by a yoga guru. The guru then went on to claim that Jesus did not mean what Jesus said - that the man was born blind "that the works of God might be displayed." The guru insisted instead that the sin of past reincarnations created the disability. He claimed an all compassionate God would not put pain upon a person who did not deserve it.

This must make sense from the perspective of the guru, but I must disagree - from my own point of view, which is woefully, and obviously, devoid of guru credientials.

You see, I do think that a compassionate God allows all kinds of pain to exist in our lives, even the kind of pain that is not "our fault." I also think God knows that these situations hurt us - in any manner of ways - and that we so often view these circumstances as bad, unforunate, and undeserved.

I reconcile a loving God with a God who would knowingly allow us to be hurt. Why?

I suppose it's because I see no reason why we should somehow win the lottery on a trouble-free life, free from pain, numb from worry, and devoid of challenge. I view troubles and tests as, in a non-self-help way, opportunities to build character, develop empathy, take responsibility, and become more deeply aware of our blessings.

For instance, I have a headache right now, and it's a pain, but it's also an opportunity to make sure I've had enough water to drink today (in case it's been caused by dehydration) and a chance to practice being cheerful and good to others in the absence of an absolutely ideal scenario...because, really, when is it ever all absolutely ideal?

It was not ideal for my grandmother to have to teach herself to walk again, nor is it ideal for my mother to have to teach my kindey to get along with her body, but these are pains that will live as legacies of courage and as affirmations of life for generations in my family. They display how God is greater than pain, greater than anything that would try to destroy us, because God is still with us in the pain and God will help us overcome it.
So I think too that, yes, when we feel in life, pain or joy, this provides us with a unique opportunity to interact with God, to allow God to walk with us in good times and bad, so that we depend on God when we cannot on ourselves, and we give credit to God when it is not our own to claim.

I am not sure how I would feel as the blind man who could suddenly see after Jesus healed him. I do not know if I would feel ripped off or honored to be such a character placed in that role. I do know though, that my personal pains and weaknesses make me human, so that I can relate to others. I do know that they remind me how fragile and dynamic and beautiful life is. I know they encourage me to assess if I am taking  care of myself, as a steward of a body, mind and soul - gifts given to me and not inventions of my own. I know that if I never knew pain, I would never know its opposite.

Most importantly, I know that I do not know all that God is up to. I respect that I can not reason or predict or instinctually tune into the exact way that a perfect God loves us perfectly. I just know - through it all - the love is there for all of us.

Making the most

It's been a weird spring so far. Most days have been cold. Some days have been hot.

Then there are days like today, where the clouds threaten the sky for a moment, and it seems like the sun is fighting back.

We try not to be lame and stay indoors on days such as this, even if they aren't perfect for the pool (not hot and sunny enough) or a real hike (not consistently cool enough). This means a walk around the pond.

Of note today, a group of evil Canadian geese attacked swimmers at the pond! I am telling you, those animales are vicious!! We were just walking by, enjoying the families all around us and they good time they were having, and then - bam! - there are these bomb shelter sirens going off all around the pond area, and the lifeguards are assembling in a group. Then we see it - a line of geese descending within the roped off area of the pond that is intended for people-swim only. They seriously looked like an armada as kids and grandparents and everyone in between ran out of the water away from them. And the lifeguards, ha ha, just lined up in the water and faced them. I don't know what their tactic was to be (a not-so-friendly game of red rover or battleship, perhaps?), but I hope it worked. We did our loop around the pond and did not stay to find out.

What do you do to make the most of weird weather days during your weekend? I feel like being outside is key, but in the midst of crazy clouds and rabid geese, one has to be crafty...

Happy trails to you

Yesterday was day 2 of 3, during the first week of 16, of half marathon training. Tomorrow I do my first 4 miler.

I've decided that to start off, I'd like to run my 30 minute runs outside, and my paced runs - where I count how many miles I go - on the treadmill for now.

This means strategy and routine, which has never really been my strong suit, in order to find an appropriate place to run for at least 30 minutes before it even starts to think about getting dark.

Of course, I bet you know where I seek out a running trail – The Blue Hills. This week, I ran around Houghton's Pond for my first 30 minutes and was going to go there again yesterday, until my routine eluded me.

It was already late (because I got to work late), so I needed to start boiling some potatoes prior to the run. Or so claimed S, who was feigning starvation at that point.

So in slight desperation – I really wanted to run outside because it was humid and a great atmosphere to prepare for Orlando – I decided to take this route:

I hope you are thinking – this route must be gorgeous. Because it is. Houghton's Pond is fantastic, but Ponkapoag Pond (and adjacent bog) is breathtaking. You run through a wooded area, past a sunny beach, all on horse trails, and then – boom! – right beside you is this gleaming pond, too wide to see across, with little toads croaking all around you and bog land up ahead. It is the reward and the end of the little tunnel of trees and tiny pathways to get there.

But first, to get to the trees to get to the bog, there is street. As in the street I drive to work on. As in scary.

You see, I would never bike on the road. I secretly (oops!) hate bikers, even (especially) the good ones,
who ride on the side of a major road and beg you not to hit them. They terrify me. Maybe I should rephrase though – I love bikers as people, and I consequently do not want to hit them with my car. So therefore, instead, I hate that there are never enough bike lanes, and when they exist, I always think they should be 3 times wider (at least) than they are.

But I digress. To get to the beautiful pond, I have to run on the scary street, down the tree lined path, past the beach, to the bog.

The good news about all this is: 1) pretty pond, 2) discipline, 3) courage, 4) encroaching if not imminent empathy for bikers.

It is well with my soul

We were made to be well. And we were made to support others in their wellness. In the sometimes tedious and sometimes seemingly trivial nature of our work, let us not forget that we have an opportunity in our actions towards our God, ourselves and others to share a wholeness and wellness that comes from being who we were intended to be, at our truest.

Two years after my work with them, I continue to be honored to have known the great people in the video above. There is nothing more powerful than small actions done for the right purpose, to bring dignity and restore hope.

Congratulations on such wonderful continuing progress and purpose, BHLI!!!

Healthy Heart Foods

I was really pleased to review this article today on Health.com via CNN to see that 9/10 of the listed "heart healthy" foods are both vegetarian and vegan. Oh, and in my opinion, 8 of these are really yummy! (I can't speak for flax seed, because I have yet to incorporate it into my diet.)

But these foods, for me, are really easy to eat often in the following ways:

Oatmeal...is great for weekend breakfasts, which are more like extended brunches in our household. I add fruit, jam, or peanut butter, or if I am feeling super ascetic, just have a warm plain bowl of this stuff with black coffee. This is for those mornings when I would feel sick eating a "big" breakfast, but know I should eat something.

Avocado...I pretty much exclusively eat on my burrito bols at Chipotle, as guacamole. It is so fresh there! I have yet to find a guacamole that tastes as healthy and wholesome as Chipotle's at my grocery, but not for lack of trying. As a side note, when I ate meat, I really enjoyed fresh avocado with steak. I would recommend this to folks who are eating the steak anyway.

Olive oil...I use for any chopped vegetable and generally in dishes that would resemble a stir fry (I am not sophisticated enough as a chef to actually make a real stir fry, or at least I think not. My creations are more like pan-of-leftovers-medley-I-am-trying-not-to-burn-or-ruin).

Nuts...are my go-to travel food. I prefer raw or smoked almonds. I buy a big tin and they always last me more than the entire trip. With these, I know that if I had to order a side salad as a meal, wait forever in an airport, or skip breakfast while running late for a work meeting while away, I will be completely satiated.

Berries...are usually a little expensive for me, but I prefer to eat them fresh and plain. Enter "juice bar" night, ha ha, and I will add them to smoothies. Enter extended brunch with oatmeal, and there you go!

Legumes...are so often my main course. My favorites are fresh green beans, black beans and rice, kidney bean and chick pea salads, lentils in soups, and mixed beans with whole grain pasta and spinach. Beans are also fantastic in chili of course, but my culinary prowess usually limits me to using them as part of a very simple meal.

Spinach...is good in salads, but mostly, I eat it out of a can, just like Popeye, which explains why I find so many people checking out my buldging arm muscles. Once or twice, I have been very decadent though, and boiled fresh spinach, then added oil and sea salt. I am pretty sure in either case, the added salts will decrease the heart healthiness of my spinach intake. I could tell you that my blood pressure's always been low, but it would be more helpful, I think, to say that I am constantly figuring out how to be healthy and sometimes, folks, I add too much salt.

Soy...yea, soy! Let me count the ways that I love you. Fried tofu, soy milk, tempeh, soy cheese, and when I get crazy, those little fake buffalo wings made out of soy meal. Ah. Next step, actually eating a soy bean, as nature intended.

So my heart healthy plan, from all of this, would be - keep eating oatmeal for breakfast, keep going to Chipotle, and lay off the salt!! Let me know if you have any favorite heart healthy foods too!

Training

If anyone wonders why I am constantly so goal oriented, it is not just because I am "tenacious D," crazy-stubborn woman who wants to torture herself. It is because I am surrounded by the theme, term, and spirit of "training".

For work, I attend public health trainings. I host, plan and conceive of trainings in the field of substance abuse prevention.

Unprofessionally speaking, I see life as each day training for the next, each stage of life a training grounds for the one to proceed it.

Today, my dear friend I start training to run our half marathon. I truly believe that this experience is going to make us better people and, I think more importantly, better friends to one another. It's also an opportunity to train myself to be aware of how fortunate I am to be healthy.

I thank God more for my health than for much else in this world. The race we'll run will benefit LLS, which you can read more about here. I hope and pray that my preparation for this test, as well as it's greater purpose, will help me not only to train my body and my competitive spirit, but that it will also train my mind - to understand the cause underlying the event, to have compassion for it, to be able to speak about it in a way that helps others know and care about it.

Not about me

How exciting is this?!!

Just a few days ago, I engaged in this campaign by taking 60 seconds or so out of my day, while others have devoted their lives to this cause, for the lives of "strangers" who are really our fellow brothers and sisters.

The work of everyone together and the open ears and hearts of leadership focused on more than national identity can do this important work. I am so, so excited about this, and thankful for people who continually wipe the film and grime of cynicism and apathy out of their eyes every day and remember the necessity of caring for one another as a connected whole.

The interesting and adventurous life of...not me

Recently all of the lovely people in my life have been very excited for S and about his new car, which he painstakingly selected after months (and months) of consideration, consultation and perhaps even a little consternation.

All of my conversations with people these days end up with my assessment of S's car - if he likes it, if I like it, how fast he drives, how supah dupah cool he is. Not that I mind. He is beyond supah dupah, and he worked very hard to save for and pick out his car.

And I also have to admit that I get some of the perks associated with his awesomeness - like breathing in genuine new car smell (amazing chemical processes at work, no doubt) and waving to the motorcyclists who check us out when we're on a drive. Oh, and the teenage girl who screamed, "Nice whip, bro!" out of the passenger side window of a jeep the other day.

So it's only right, that for S's fans out there, I post pictures of his new lady "Sally," who is also quickly becoming my new vehicular BFF. Enjoy, and feel free to ask questions about her, which I will field to S and reply back with an unquestionably technical and hyperbolic response. I kid. A little.

Amazing Race

Once upon a time, there were two women who dreamt of winning a million dollars the easy way…

…winning The Amazing Race together. Of course.

But as time went by, it seemed as though their dream needed the inspiration of magic, larger than their own.


 As fortune would have it, one of the women lived close by to a very special world, where everyone's dreams come true. Disney World.

And so ladies and gentlemen, let it be known that on October 1, 2011, K & D will run their own amazing race.

D, for one…

…is out of her mind excited about it.

And they ran happily ever after!

Poetic...

...how exactly do I say that with my style?

Maybe by wearing my heart on my sleeve.

61 months ago..

Since this:

 Became this:

I love you, S!

Thanks for watching the moon with me last night (especially since you wanted to be playing an MMORPG instead).

ONE

Did you know that one out of three child deaths in the developing world--a total of nearly 3 million each year--is caused by diarrhea or pneumonia? That's more deaths than malaria, HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis combined.

But did you also know that we now have two new vaccines that will help stop these two preventable diseases--we just need to make sure these proven vaccines get the funding they deserve?

I just signed a petition asking President Obama to make sure these two vaccines get to the kids who need them most.

Will you please sign the petition, too?

Together as ONE we can make a difference and help save 4 million children's lives in 5 years.
Thanks!
 
Love,
 
D, S, and O via the ONE Campaign

Juice bar

S thought he was funny saying we should go to a juice bar tonight, since I am not big on drinking alcohol.

Little did he know, the wheels were turning in my creative noggin.

We drove to our Target, which now has a full grocery in it, and got started.

We broke out our handy, and only slightly filthy, Waring Vortex 7.

Phase 1 scarred me.

Phase 2 terrified O the cat.

But by Phase 3, things were better.

And, oh, Phase 4, you delicious son-of-a-gun.

Even S the wise guy got on board.

Sore is...

...as sore does.

My fingers are sore from playing the guitar.

My legs are sore from (lack of) strength training.

The rest of me is sore from the sun.

Altogether, the day has been lived.

Pool day

As much as I feel fortunate not to lead a hectic or super stressful life, I realized this morning that for quite a few weekends now, S and I have either been on the road, at work, or running time-sensitive errands.

This weekend, it is not so, and I am very thankful!

We'll be here, as Bruno Mars says, chilling in our Snuggies, but really I'll be at the pool in the sunshine maybe reading or swimming a bit, but really just contemplating the meaning of life, the universe and everything.

Enjoy your hopefully somewhat lazy weekend as well!

On war

A simple note to get started - these are my thoughts and feelings, not my expertise and knowledge.

I had not read the Bible in a long, long time. Maybe a month, maybe six weeks, but I was/am in a period of my life after reading three of Rob Bell's books, especially Velvet Elvis - which is so beautiful - where I did not want to read God, but I wanted to wait on God in a different way. And for the most part, this has been a happy time of life, and I do feel moved by God's spirit in it, without literally intending to read God's words in anything but my heart.

However, I missed reading the Bible, and did feel like I was missing out on wisdom that was beyond my day to day experience. The Bible is a history of the Jewish people and the Jewish man Jesus of Nazareth, and as much as I believe in God's power to intervene in daily trials and circumstance, I do not know anything really about Jewish religious thought and spirituality without it.

So as a change of pace this morning, I flipped to somewhere in the Old Testament - I normally go to Psalms or Proverbs here, but I wanted something that I hadn't read in a while. I honestly think I got something I hadn't read ever - the 3rd quarter of the Book of Joshua. I thought, "Oh, great," when I started out, "here's another chronology of names and people going to war with one another." I do not like to think about war in the Bible. Victory, yes. War, no. But I read it, convinced by countless past experiences that it would be the right thing for me to read that day based on instinct.

Of the 5 or so chapters I read, the verses below stuck out to me. I loved several things about them -

One, that here is a people being given a gift, and they are whining about it.

Two, Joshua does not put up with this; It is the land they were given for a purpose.

Three, the purpose is bigger than the people, and it requires their work to yield the full inheritance.

Four, they are a strong and powerful people who are not supposed to conquer iron with iron. Instead, they are working with their own unique inheritance (the wood and forest) to overcome a material that is arguably, physically, factually speaking, stronger.

I think when I came back to the Bible I was feeling a little bit let down by myself for not keeping up with it more. From this reading, instead of staying let down, I came away with the opposite impression - that I am powerful and my inheritance is not someone else's might, but my own ability to accept the gifts God offers me for what they are and develop them into what God has intended them to be.

I know the Bible is not a fortune cookie or a divination cup. It's a renewal of the spirit that will never leave us. It will pursue our purpose as clearly as Joshua was able to point out the destiny of the people of Joseph.

Joshua 17:14-18

New International Version (NIV)

14 The people of Joseph said to Joshua, “Why have you given us only one allotment and one portion for an inheritance? We are a numerous people, and the LORD has blessed us abundantly.”

15 “If you are so numerous,” Joshua answered, “and if the hill country of Ephraim is too small for you, go up into the forest and clear land for yourselves there in the land of the Perizzites and Rephaites.”

16 The people of Joseph replied, “The hill country is not enough for us, and all the Canaanites who live in the plain have chariots fitted with iron, both those in Beth Shan and its settlements and those in the Valley of Jezreel.”

17 But Joshua said to the tribes of Joseph—to Ephraim and Manasseh—“You are numerous and very powerful. You will have not only one allotment 

18 but the forested hill country as well. Clear it, and its farthest limits will be yours; though the Canaanites have chariots fitted with iron and though they are strong, you can drive them out.”

Inspiration

I have recently admitted to myself that I am the kind of person who is impressionable. I think I take this to be a good thing. After all, as much as I have changed as I grow, I don't believe I've really ever denied who I am fundamentally, and many of the beliefs and values I hold are enduring and steadfast views I've been passionate about in the long term.

But in being impressionable, I both need and benefit from inspiration. A good speech will get my heart pumping, as will the right set of lyrics to a song or the role modeling of someone who I admire or would like to emulate. Sometimes it's corny, and other times it's profound, but I do well to have a rallying cry in the back of my mind as I start my work day or work out.

I've been blessed to be able to share so much of my inspiration already through writing this blog. Day in and day out, whether I am feeling particularly good, bad or indifferent about life, I've been able to sort that out here.

But in realizing the importance of little inspirations in the way I conduct my life, I want to pass some of these little nuggets along, so that they might make others motivated or just happy.

Here are a few of my favorite calls to action from some awesome people:

Nelson Mandela

"I am fundamentally an optimist. Whether that comes from nature or nurture, I cannot say. Part of being optimistic is keeping one's head pointed toward the sun, one's feet moving forward. There were many dark moments when my faith in humanity was sorely tested, but I would not and could not give myself up to despair. That way lays defeat and death."

"It always seems impossible until it's done."

"I am not a saint, unless you think of a saint as a sinner who keeps on trying.

"There is no passion to be found playing small - in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living."

"I am the captain of my soul."

"When the water starts boiling it is foolish to turn off the heat."

Jillian Michaels

"A bad day for your ego is a great day for your soul."

"Selfish isn't a dirty word. It means we take care of ourselves and are able to give back."

"Thriving. That's fighting... Surviving is barely getting by."
 
And this kid: