Sunday, March 7, 2010

You are deserving of love

Sandra Bullock said this tonight in her Oscar acceptance speech for Best Actress:
"There is no race, no religion, no class system, no color, nothing, no sexual orientation that makes us better than anyone else — we're all deserving of love."
 I'm going to try and remember this tomorrow.

-Andrea

Saturday, March 6, 2010

Seeking portals...

"Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors where there were only walls."  - Joseph Campbell

This was a little nugget I saw re-tweeted on Twitter (would that be a Tweepeat?)  I looked up Joseph Campbell on the interwebs and found another quote by him that was even better.

"The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are."
I don't know about you, but for me, that was el fantastico.

-Andrea

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Managing I/O: Reading/writing & listening/talking

I was doing some thinking yesterday while I was in the shower about reading and writing.  I was thinking about how critical reading is to my writing.  Specifically, active reading.  You know how your eyes can process a page of text without it really registering?  It went in one eye and out the other so fast that you can't remember the point, much less the way in which it was conveyed.


I was reminded of my soapy thoughts this afternoon when I found Indexed, a fantastic blog by Jessica Hagy.  Her most recent post was a freaky co-inky-dink:


http://thisisindexed.com/2010/03/made-not-born/


This is where my thoughtful meandering started.  And then I had my little epiphany in the shower: The better I listen, actively listen, the better I speak.  I really need to keep this in mind for the next time that I catch myself being a horrible listener.  For example, patiently but disinterestedly waiting for the other person to finish talking so I can go back to whatever I was doing.  Or when I am busy formulating my response or holding onto a thought while they talk.  I can re-engage in a different way - noticing the words they are using, the speed and tone of their voice, seeing if the animation in their eyes matches what is going on with their words, watching for the subtle shifts in expression.  Because unless they are trying to filibuster to block health care reform, the other party in my conversation is trying to tell me something important, and the message is more than just the words.


-Andrea

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Metaphorical Disasters

For it's not the light that is needed, but fire; it's not the gentle shower, but thunder.  We need the storm, the whirlwind and the earthquake in our hearts.  -Frederick Douglass 

I'm not sure where I found this quote - maybe in the pile of Franklin Covey daily calendar sheets I kept for a couple of years simply for the quotes.*   This was one of the keepers, and I wrote it down on a sticky note that followed me through a series of work transitions.  I initially found it appealing because some of those work transitions were particularly trying, and I was trying to convince myself that immersed into the thick of the mess was right where I wanted to be.  It didn't matter that I was starting to drown.  It was a challenge, and if there's one thing I know I'm a sucker for, it's the dare of a good challenge.  The fun part to noodle on is differentiating between when it has been a weakness rather than a strength.  I have an idea where the answer is for me, but I'm going to ponder it a bit more.

*Side note, the only useful part of the Franklin Covey system for me was the daily quotes.   My brain simply doesn't organize itself into hourly, daily and weekly buckets.  Apparently I am far too rebellious for (or far too bored by?) that kind of self-organization system.

-Andrea