Category Archives: Inspiration

Love Notes for Dancing

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Shake it, friends! What rhythms find you today? How will you sway those hips and sashay those steps out on the street? I wish for us all to let loose a little more, offering our inner and outer music to one another more routinely, normalizing dancing through our activities of daily living. Standing desks are the best for this–what a great invention!

Dancey You. Full of joy. Cardio in work clothes. Let’s go.

  1. When words fail us, may music step up and connect us through rhythmic movement — We can dance rather than talk our way to our togetherness.

2. What’s the ideal rhythm for your gait? Once you find it, you can curate your street walking playlist. Every day is more fun after that!

3. May life bring you dance partners of all kinds, who will teach you new steps and broaden your world in the most musical ways!

4. What are your playlists? Who do you invite to share each? May you have dance partners stashed all over your life!

5. May songs from your formative years visit you when you least expect them, stirring you out of your torpor and moving your bottom deliciously!

6. Ever seen that lady who walks on the treadmill like it’s a fashion runway and her personal theme song plays in her ears? I wanna be her.

7. What is the next activity that you can convert happily into a dance? Who can you pull onto your makeshift dance floor?

8. Have you ever watched those dance improv contests? How can we incorporate dancing into our creative lives? Let’s mooove!

9. OH I just wish for the freest part of your spirit to fly ahead of your body and lead the latter in the funnest choreography!

10. When you feel that familiar fatigue of post-lunch workday lag, may a favorite song pop into your head and overtake your body!

11. May we all have multiple chances to dance freely, joyfully, and shamelessly to our favorite music every day!

12. This one is for Dancey Shane! Thank you for your kitchen boogy videos–they always make our days and inspire our own jams!

I like these lighthearted Love Note days. Sometimes we just need to shake it out and have fun. Happy weekend, friends– More tomorrow!

Love Notes for Bridging Difference

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The PA student wellness talk went great! 42 or so junior colleagues engaged with me and my badly designed PowerPoint for ninety minutes and I had the BEST time! I realized this morning that for the youngest of them (about half the class), the pandemic hit during high school and the beginning of college. It reminds me of The Fourth Turning and how significantly the intersection of phase of life with momentous human events influences our world views. This summer I was challenged to address the impact of generational differences on organizational culture in a corporate wellness talk, and I started to see age and generation as another form of diversity.

“Respect and challenge the hierarchy,” occurred to me for students this year. We elders (some very elder indeed) still run things, and our experience and wisdom matter. We also have much to learn from our juniors, from their fresh and diverse perspectives. If we can all lead, from any chair, by humble and confident example, our professional culture will progress toward stronger inclusiveness and mutual respect.

I continue to seek conversation and connection with both conservative and progressive friends around politics. But I want to go deeper than news headlines and the loudest arguments. I want to know what core goals and values we share, to start walking together to see where our paths diverge. Where are our shared destinations, and why do you choose 90/94 while I choose Lake Shore Drive? What are the dis/advantages of each, what are the trade-offs?

I am really starting to miss more long form posting here, how fascinating! We are 60% through this daily blogging challenge. Many thanks to all who have followed along (Hi Mick and Donna!), and welcome to any new friends! Now let’s see how much love we can find across difference:

  1. Keep your antennae tuned for those who would divide us to serve their own purposes. This is NOT our better nature. Resist them and stay connected!

2. You and I disagree on this today. That may not necessarily be the case in the future. We can keep our minds open to change, without shame or judgement.

3. You don’t believe everything I believe. But let us not let that stop us from staying curious and connecting anyway. May we see light in each other no matter what.

4. The holidays can challenge our patience and resilience to triggers. *deep breath* May we stand firmly in love and ties of respect and shared history to get us through gratefully.

5. Our biases come honestly or not, we inherit many and form others organically. It’s a human thing. But let us hold them loosely and let them go to connect to one another.

6. Today and all days, may our differences feel softer, less threatening, and approachable with openness, light, and optimism for connection.

7. How wonderfully diverse we all are! How boring the world would be if we were all the same! May we appreciate and celebrate every spectrum!

8. To my friends who vote differently and sit with me over a meal or coffee to discuss–thank you. Our persistent and resilient connection gives me hope for our future.

9. I love you because we share important things in common. And the places where we differ teach me, make me better. Because of our love.

10. One deep breath can be the difference between a connecting moment and a destructive one. Let our breath give us the space to make the connecting choice.

11. Humility Curiosity Empathy Kindness Generosity — Is there any theme of love note NOT founded on these?

12. These fun music mash-ups like AC/DC-BeeGees — If we can so easily and artfullly blend divergent melodic creations, why not try with our policy ideas? We are a creative species, no?

Oh, I like this set, friends. Onward to 30!

Love Notes for Humanity

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My friends, you MUST listen to the Crowns Series by Nicola Tyche! I have only a little over five hours left of the trilogy and I’m getting sad already that it will end. WHAT a ride, though! I want to write a proper post/review after these thirty days are finished–can’t wait can’t wait! I’m still texting Phara every few minutes during each listening session and she is such a strong, non-spoiling, encouraging book friend!
Besides the brilliant story, literary writing, masterful plot with the most wicked twists, I love the characters the best. They are all just so human, all doing their best to uphold their core values, face challenges to their prejudices with honesty and courage, and they love so bravely and authentically. It warms and breaks my heart all at the same time. I could not recommend these books strongly enough!

Humanity. Let us all honor and uhpold it in ourselves and all we encounter, yes?
Let’s see if I can muster messages that help:

  1. Joy Connection Understanding Acceptance Belonging *LOVE* May you find all of these in overflowing abundance in all of your relationships!

2. Feel all your emotions! And regulate your actions. Say sorry and mean it when you hurt someone. We all make mistakes. We are SMART, so we can LEARN. You’ got this.

3. Thank the gods for our creative and artist humans! They help us fully experience this amazing life and we are so lucky to have them! Big love and light to you!

4. We are born and made to live in relationship. Family, tribe, friendship–it all matters and shapes us. Wishing with all of me for your relationships to hold and lift ALL OF YOU!

5. Hello my dear fellow human. When I meet you, may I always remember that you and I both have loved ones who want the best for us, and that we are all worthy.

6. To first identify, then acknowledge and embrace our fears, this is courageous humanity. Maybe we cannot muster it all the time, so let’s *celebrate* when we do! That’s awesome.

7. “You see me.” I think this rivals “You love me” or “I love you” as the most connecting expression between two humans. Yeah.

8. When I see you, I think of your mom and how much she loves you. And it makes me love you a little more too. Can we just look at each other this way more?

9. OMG how we ALL fuck up every day! Is it not phenomenal?? So let’s just accept and expect it already, yes? Own it, mend it, and keep going–do better next time.

10. Every day, my friend, I wish you a rhythm of inspiration that manifests in music and DANCE. To move your body to a beat is an energy we all need. Even better with others, too!

11. My dear darling friend, your feelings are VALID. Please allow them, move through them, and maybe explore and understand them, if you can. Then rest and find your people. They can help.

12 We are human. We love whom we love. We can love anyone in any way, and that love can also evolve. Nothing about love is binary or restrictive. How wonderful!

Oh there is definitely more here. Doesn’t it feel like I write a love note a day for a year for every one of these topics? What if I could do that for a living? Hmmmm… Love notes, love letters, sending love, landing it squarely on others’ consciousness exactly how it’s needed in the moment–that would be an amazing day job. More tomorrow!