Cool patterns
World Philosophy Day
For this day, I thought it would be nice to post one of my favorite passages from my book. The first part is a quote from Henry David Thoreau. The second is the connection I see to Taoism.
Thoreau
We should be blessed if we lived in the present always, and took advantage of every accident that befell us, like the grass which confesses the influence of the slightest dew that falls on it; and did not spend our time in atoning for the neglect of past opportunities.
We loiter in winter while it is already spring.
Tao
Earlier, Thoreau warned not to try to turn spring into summer; here he warns not to obsess on the past. Lao Tzu said:
Why was it that the ancients prized this Tao so much? Because it could be got by seeking for it, and the guilty could use it to escape the stain of guilt. This is the reason why all
under heaven consider it the most valuable thing.
Learn from mistakes and missed opportunities and apply this learning going forward. Practice forgiving yourself, especially if you have accepted the lessons from your mistakes. Forge forward with this learning, determined to make a new day and a new you.
If you like this, you may like to read more in my book Tao of Thoreau
November snow
Performance Anxiety
The PechaKucha format is so different and challenging. In standard storytelling, the teller has no additional pressure except for telling the story well and not going past the time limit. In the Pecha format, you have to speak as pictures are projected behind you. The teller has twenty seconds per slide to tell the story of that image. The additional pressure of not coming up short and standing there awkwardly waiting for the next slide, or going long into the next one really impacted me.
I was prepared, but I was stressed. More than I have been in a long time. It was kind of a long drive to the theatre, and I barely had a word to say to my wife. I felt bound up.
Yet, when I walked to the microphone, all my nerves fell away. When my first image was projected, I got right into my story. And frankly, I kind of killed it.
My takeaway from this is that I’ve earned confidence. I belong talking into a mic. As long as I continue to be respectful of the process, I can approach performing with a feeling of belief.
I did a thing last night
Not exactly ‘storming’ the field
Amazing upset win by UConn football over #19 Liberty! For the last ten years the only thing upset has been our stomachs due to loss after loss. It’s good to have a competitive team again!
Bad Shoes
I can’t seem to find shoes that fit right. I still go to the store and try them on, and they feel fine, but then I start wearing them and they just don’t feel great.
I realize I need a few things to get it right. It needs to be the 1970s. I need to go to a department store, and a stranger has to use one of these jammies to measure my feet:
Then my mother has to press the tip of the shoe. Listen, I get that she was making sure there was some space for me to grow into them, but this process always worked. So, with these three simple and very realistic steps, I’ll be back in good shoes in no time.
Excerpt from Tao of Thoreau
PechaKucha
A new kind of storytelling for me. Telling a story with images projected in the background. Twenty seconds per image.
I’m a little nervous about it, which I love. I’ve learned that nerves are often an indication of my limits being pushed. Pushing my limits is what I want to continue to do in my life.
Mark Bozeman 