But isn’t that what we do? It’s the lemons into lemonade, some kind of alchemy where instead of raging and making more rage, we direct that energy into something-else. Something holy. We summon our better side, the one that loves and keeps loving and we call out the dangers of not protecting the vulnerable among us, the dangers of using fear to divide. These hands that make the world are our hands. Our mark in the soil. What are we making? What are we leaving behind?
A poem
The world is still spinning
did you know?
It feels like there's no chance this is true.
That all the despair and disaster have swallowed us whole.
But the sun still rises and sets.
The birds still nest and sing.
And we listen and sing along.
We dance in the rain that makes the flowers grow -
an act of resistance,
a bright eye staring boldly into chaos
that somehow burns even brighter.
Don't pick a lane
Variety is the spice of life.
Some brains need focus. Other brains need multi-focus.
Some brains are really good at and need to do one thing.
Other brains love to juggle and have a lot going on at once.
One isn’t better than the other but “pick a lane” is a thing our culture likes to say.
They like to act surprised when people have varied interest.
I’m surprised when people stick to one thing.
Varied interests make people interesting.
Arguably, varied interests make people’s output more interesting, too.
I would never tell someone to pick a lane.
Creativity happens at the intersection of lanes. Novelty stems from the crash of cultures, ideas, skills, mindsets, interests. Picking a lane doesn’t get you there.
“I have an octopus brain” I said about myself in an interview one time. I got the job.
Many arms make many connections.