Let the countdown begin!
More To Life is almost here and I just wanted to say a little bit about what's on the horizon. My boys have entered the official Spartan Race happening today and tomorrow in Breckenridge. Yesterday I saw someone from the Spartan TV show walking Main Street... it's legit! My boys are doing the kids race, but that's besides the point. When the banner was hung over Main Street and word got around, I called some other parents and easily managed to put together a squad of kiddos to compete. EASILY! Parents and students alike needed no persuasion. The race is active and outside so say no more. Where I live people embrace their exteriors. Sometimes I feel like I'm surrounded by super athletes who are constantly training, competing and pushing the human limits. Anyone remember the movie Sixth Sense? The little boy said, "I see dead people." Locals and tourists alike find a slightly different phrase on their lips while looking around at people here... "I see healthy people." Was does the word HEALTHY bring to mind for you... no high fructose corn syrup or even better sugar free; eating a good diet- one including kale or quinoa; applying sunscreen; the opposite of fat; exercising and engaging an active lifestyle; wearing ath-leisure clothing and tracking accessories like Fitbit; training and competing in a race? Being healthy means all sort of things nowadays... most of which pertains exclusively to our exteriors. What I mean is this... being healthy tends to be about our physical bodies and as a result is very tangible. But honestly, being healthy is also about our interiors... the intangible, inward part of us that we all sense and feel and sort of drives our whole story. Healthy isn't just about longevity of lifespan. Healthy is also about the depth and authenticity our relationships. Healthy isn't simply about steps taken and calories burned. Healthy is also about our ability to be still and silent and comfortable in our own skin. Healthy is about MORE than cholesterol levels and gym membership. So I'm pretty excited to discuss living a healthy life and adventure inward... to talk about those often overlooked and neglected interiors and how they overlap and intersect with our exteriors to create balance and harmony. See you on Tuesday, September 6th!
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Last time we talked about "Heathens" and how GOOD is inside ALL of us... it's there... the Divine spark.
"Heathens" embraces the truth that ALL of us are broken in our own ways. Truth be told, we have much in common. Today I am sending you an excerpt from an email introducing Ann Voskamp's new book and some upcoming videos... all an encouragement to live a better story... a story that brings wholeness through our brokenness... a story that invites us to risk giving ourselves to one another. My faith in humanity has been tested this past year. From stories in the media and on the news, to my own personal experience. Yet tonight I'm sitting in front of a blinking cursor... and I can still write that I believe humanity is inherently good.
I do not mean to trivialize or in any way discount your pain, loss, injustice or suffering. What I do mean is to embrace the fact that we all need to look harder for the hidden GOOD... that we need to see deeply within each other and ourselves to discover the truth that we all are mysteriously marked by the Divine. Even though we possess the ability to choose between actions that build up or tear down, words that inspire or belittle... even though we can quite literally create life or death through our stories, underneath our exteriors is the common denominator of GOODness... it's there. I think it's easy, too easy, to lose sight of that truth. All the stuff of life can persuade and convince us otherwise. So I just wanted to take a moment to say it out loud... for you AND me... to remind all of us that we are connected and the common thread is something GOOD. I understand that we can see many other things about one another... that we can be pretty reluctant with our love and grace... and that can even be true of how we treat ourselves... everyone is probably a heathen in their own judgmental eyes. The song on the MTL Live Free Summer playlist that I want you to give a listen to is "Heathens" by twenty one pilots. In it, I hear a warning against placing judgement because we all have pain and struggles that we are hiding in one way or another. I've often heard the most comforting words in the world are, "Me too." When we discover that our story is also the story of others, we feel a deep bonding sense of solidarity. The song "Heathens" has a different angle on finding a universal commonality, and I appreciate the unity it offers us. The lyrics tell us not "make sudden moves... that we don't know the half of the abuse." We must be gentle with one another not knowing people's stories or even how their day went. We must approach one another slowly and carefully to not further inflict damage but instead continually give grace. Which brings me back to what we see and how we see each other... because I don't see heathens... I see potential and promise and MORE. When I say, "Me too," I'm grabbing ahold of the truth that I am MORE and can live a better story... how I can live from a center in myself that is GOOD; and I am grabbing ahold of that truth for you too. It's not about me or you, it's about US... not just some of us... ALL of US... together. It's our DNA. It's who we are. Now live : ) |
These posts offer further reflection on topics we tackle during MTL nights.
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