Happy Friday! It might be a day full of April showers, but this week was gorgeous otherwise. My sentiments on spring can be summed up by an elderly woman also waiting to cross at a corner, who proclaimed, to anyone with ears: "Here we are! And none of us ever thought we'd get to be out here again." You are so right, sister.
Wishing you a weekend of sunshine, noticeable newness, and Friluftsliv. Before we get to it, here are a few links that moved my week:
- Vibing the new Jamie xx jam "Loud Places" hard. In the gym, on the streets, in my head.
- Dabbling in watercolor painting, as I dream up some pretty things for our wedding and reduce a little stress by creating with my hands.
- Loving David Brook's Op-Ed "The Moral Bucket List," particularly the bit where he talks about how those who radiate inner light "do not find their vocations by asking, what do I want from life? They ask, what is life asking of me? How can I match my intrinsic talent with one of the world’s deep needs?" Beautiful.
- And finally, a quote from Parker Palmer's essay on the poem "Thanks, Robert Frost":
“The past isn’t fixed and frozen in place. Instead, its meaning changes as life unfolds. I once lost a job. At the time, it felt as if I had come to the end of the road. But after a while, I was able to see how that loss helped guide me toward my true life-work. Losing that job was a blessing, not a curse.
I’ve made many mistakes and often failed to live up to my aspirations, but I don’t need to look back with regret. Instead, I can see all of my mess-ups as humus or compost for the growing I needed to do.
I love the fact that the word “humus” is related to “humility.” The good I do today may well have its roots in something not-so-good I did in the past. Knowing that takes me beyond both the sinkhole of regret and the hot-air balloon of pride.
Regret shuts life down. Humility opens it up.”