The Everyday Human

February: On Life

February 20

Today's reflection was inspired by a quote from The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane. 

Fear is powerful, yes.

But it is only as strong as you allow it to be.

This thing you have feared for so long, this thing you built up in your mind to be some great and terrible beast that would devour you on sight, it turns out, is not so hideous as you had imagined. 

It is wretched and weak and though you could slay it now, it is not worth your time because you see now that it was nothing but fear, nothing but a part of your own mind that you have created. 

You tell it to be gone and to never return, and so it goes. 

And so you are set free.

• Reflection title: “Here Be Dragons.” “So what?”
• Creative inspiration: Stephen Crane, The Red Badge of Courage
• Reflection Question: What fear have I granted undue power over me? Can I see it for what it is and carry on?

February: On Life

February 19

Today's reflection was inspired by a quote from the 1997 video game Final Fantasy VII.

The planet is a sick little kid, and we are to blame. 

But the future of a dead world does not have to come to pass. 

Humans are capable of great destruction, yes, but we are also capable of great care and love—we are capable of fixing things that we have broken, because it is in our nature to not give up.

It starts with you. It starts with me. It starts with each of us.

Will you protect it?

• Reflection title: Will You Protect It?
• Creative inspiration: Final Fantasy VII
• Reflection Question: What habits can I change to reduce my waste footprint? What will I plant today?
   

February: On Life

February 18

Today's reflection was inspired by a quote from the graphic novel Superman: For All Seasons by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale.

It's easy to fall into the trap and be pessimistic about what we see going on in the world. It appears that those with power, status, and money are using all of those things for their own gain (and it's true, many of them are). 

But fear not, they are but a few in a sea of billions.

Look around at those you love and at yourself. We each of us possess great powers and have the ability to shape the world around us and build toward a better future. Whether that's through community organizing, creating through the arts, or just simply being there for your loved ones and neighbors.

We have the power to change the world for the better--don't forget that, and don't fall into the trap of believing otherwise.

• Reflection title: Up, Up, and Away
• Creative inspiration: Jeph Loeb, Tim Sale, Superman: For All Seasons
• Reflection Question: How am I using my powers and abilities to help others?  
  
  

February: On Life

February 17

Today's reflection was inspired by Jalāl al-Dīn Rumi's poem "The Guest House."

Will today be a good day? Or a bad day?

What a notion!

How will I feel today? Happy, sad, weird? I'm hoping for happy, because I should be happy, right?

What a notion!

Your body and mind are a guest house, and they're open to every emotion you can possibly feel--24/7. At any point on any day you can go from sad to happy or happy to sad or sad to indifferent and all the rest, and that's ok. It's how it is for us humans.

But when "uncomfortable" emotions stroll in for a stay, don't lock them out or hurry them along, welcome them and spend some time with them. Because they are just as much a part of you as the "comfortable" ones. 

What a notion!

• Reflection title: Be My Guest
• Creative inspiration: Jalāl al-Dīn Rumi, "The Guest House."
• Reflection Question: What emotions haven’t I welcomed in lately? How can I be grateful for whoever comes to my guest house for a visit?

February: On Life

February 16

Today's reflection was inspired by a quote from E. E. Cummings' poem "Suppose."

Life wouldn't be what it is without Death: fleeting, fragile, precious. 

And part of Life is slowly building a relationship with Death. We see it all around us in many shapes and forms. Sometimes brutally obvious in wars, sometimes as subtle as a a flower losing its petals in autumn.

The important thing is to not run from Death, but to cherish Life while you have it--like an old man holding flowers on his head.

• Reflection title: Old Friends
• Creative inspiration: E. E. Cummings, "Suppose"
• Reflection Question: Understanding life is fleeting as a flower in spring, how will I live the days I have left, starting with today?

February: On Life

February 15

Today's reflection was inspired by a quote from Stephen King's On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft.

It's inevitable that we will stray from the path of life. It happens to us all, and it happens to us all many times, you can be sure.

You may believe that you're being led astray by external forces, but really, can these things, people, or circumstances force decisions upon you?

Ultimately, you are responsible for your decisions and actions. Nothing and no one else can force your hand. 

But when you do find yourself in the wild, away from the path of life, what is it that will lead you back? 

What's on your table?

• Reflection title: What's on the Table?
• Creative inspiration: Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft.
• Reflection Question: When I am lost, what will lead me back to the path of life?
  
  

February: On Life

February 14

Today's reflection was inspired by the poem "Stream of Life" by Rabindranath Tagore.

Looking at others and at the world with our limited perspectives, it's so easy to forget that we are all connected--to each other and to the world and universe.

But if you step outside of yourself for a moment, read different books, travel to different places, and speak to different people, you might come to remember that we all have the same blood in our veins. 

The same stream of life that flows through Earth and the stars also flows through each of us.

Let's try and remember that.

• Reflection title: All Different, All Same, All Connected
• Creative inspiration: Rabindranath Tagore, "Stream of Life"
• Reflection Question: We are all the same, more than we know. And we are all connected to the world and the universe. How can I remind myself of this today? 

February: On Life

February 13

Today's reflection was inspired by a quote from Derek Walcott's Nobel lecture, "The Antilles: Fragments of Epic Memory."

We take so much for granted--family, friends, jobs, culture, even our lives. But it can all be broken in an instant. 

And when this happens, we are left with a choice: leave it where it lands to rot and return to the dirt, or pick up the pieces and glue it back together with love, ensuring we no longer will take it for granted.

What is broken in your life that is worth fixing?

• Reflection title: Can You Fix It?
• Creative inspiration: Derek Walcott, "The Antilles: Fragments of Epic Memory"
• Reflection Question: What in my life have I lost that I must find, what has been broken that I must rebuild?  

February: On Life

February 12

Today's reflection was inspired by a quote from Wendell Berry's poem "How to Be a Poet."

It is a curse, not to grow old, but to grow up.

We can all be poets in how we live our lives.

We all start as poets, it's just that sometimes we forget.

Watch a child in nature--she is the truest poet. 

Learn and remember.

Leave your screens and your wires. Breathe the fresh air and feel the grass.

May you ever grow old, but never grow up.

• Reflection title: The Child Poet
• Creative inspiration: Wendell Berry, "How to Be a Poet"
• Reflection Question: Let me remember to be a poet today by writing my poem here and now. 

February: On Life

February 11

Today's reflection was inspired by a quote from the little piece of paper at the end of the tea bag--specifically from Yogi Tea (no affiliation to this podcast or me, I just like the tea).

Beyond the tenuous structure of routine that we build into our days, life is filled to bursting with the unknown. You have your expectations of how your day and life will go, but anything could happen—anything. Your day could benignly go exactly as you planned, but more often than not, it won’t. Want to make God laugh? Tell him your plans, as the saying goes.

But if stepping into the unknown of a new day means your day could go horribly wrong, doesn't it stand that it could also go exceedingly well?

Despite the negativity bias we carry as humans, this is the truth of it. 

Anything could happen at any time--bad, neutral, or good.

So when things inevitably steer into the unknown, do your best to step into the dark not with paralyzing fear, but with grace, because anything can happen.

• Reflection title: The Good, the Bad, the Anything
• Creative inspiration: Yogi Tea
• Reflection Question: What is unknown in my life right now? How can I enter it with grace rather than turn from it in fear?