Category Archives: Inspiration

Love Notes for Uncertainty

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Worpswede, near Bremen,
16th July, 1903.

“You are so young, all beginning is so far in front of you, and I should like to beg you earnestly to have patience with all unsolved problems in your heart and to try to love the questions themselves like locked rooms, or books that are written in a foreign tongue. Do not search now for the answers, which cannot be given you, because you could not live them. That is the point, to live everything. Now you must live your problems. And perhaps gradually, without noticing it, you will live your way into the answer some distant day. Perhaps you actually have in you the possibility of moulding and shaping, as a particularly blessed and pure form of life; train yourself in it—but take what comes in complete trust, and, as long as it comes from your own will, from some need or other of your inner self, then take it for itself and hate nothing…

“All my good wishes are ready to accompany you, and my confidence is with you.

“Yours,
“RAINER MARIA RILKE.”
Letters to a Young Poet, Translated by K.W Maurer 1943 (public domain)

  1. I’ve said before and I’ll say it again: ODOMOBaaT — One Day One Moment One Breath at a Time

2. May the unknown unknowns of your life present themselves gently and give you space and time to process and adjust. And if not, fuck ’em.

3. Hello love. What’s got you anxious today? Can you take some deep breaths, shake it out a little, and call forth your fortitude and gumption?

4. I know it’s so hard to not know how things will turn out — especially when certain outcomes could be scary. But I trust your courage.

5. You’ll get through it, I know you will. Because you’ve come through everything up to now. And look how AWESOME you are! Rock star.

6. What if we consistently reframed, even for just a little while, uncertainty as possibility?

7. Well, you’ve gotten this far. How often did you know for sure how everything’d turn out? I see proof that you can be totally ok regardless.

8. We simply cannot know the future with certainty. We could get hit by a truck. So we make our plans, act accordingly, and adjust as needed. We’ got this.

9. Hmmm, roadblocks and detours… We may not like them and avoid them, and sometimes the alternative, scenic routes make the trip. Maybe embrace?

10. What if this is your chance to let LOOSE your inner badass? How does that part of you already show up every day?

11. “…undaunted.” “You look daunted. Say it again like your UNdaunted.” (Says it again and kick(s) the soccer ball with only a little dauntedness)

12. Maybe you actually relish uncertainty? Maybe it makes you a little giddy and excited? teeheehee… May that energy rub off on more of us, please.

Hat tip to the Dead Poets Society poetry reading, soccer ball kicking scene. 😉

Love Notes for Making Friends

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SO FUN! I went to my first industry dinner since before the pandemic. Heard a couple of informative talks while enjoying salad, pasta, fish, steak, and then the best tiramisu I’ve ever had! But the best part was talking to my new friend E. We had met before and we have mutual acquaintances, and tonight was our chance to know each other better. We talked industry, parenting, the pitfalls of corporate culture, topics of extemporaneous talks we’d give, and what we like about ourselves, as well as what we’re working on.

How often do you walk away from random conversations feeling uplifted, connected, intrigued, and reflective? How awesome would it be to have this every time you met someone, anyone, anywhere, under any circumstance? It may not be realistic, but hey, aim for the sun, right? Let’s see if I can inspire this attitude in tonight’s twelve, shall we? I’m excited for this challenge:

  1. Food, music, sports, activism, travel — Whatever helps you connect meaningfully to other lovely humans is what I wish for you. Books, nature, insects– Whatever! 😀

2. What do you wish people would ask you about yourself? What do you want to know about other people that’s related? Why not connect around either? Could be fun!

3. Who will be your next great friend? You never know, right? May you approach any new-to-you human with the spirit of potential and utter possibility!

4. May your openness, curiosity, humility, empathy, generosity, and kindness be rewarded at least ten times over, today and all days — May the positive reinforcement fill your tank!

5. Where in your body do you feel the first inklings of a new wonderful friendship? May that part positively vibrate on a daily basis! No such thing as too many friends! 😀

6. What part of you really wants to be seen? May you find yourself surrounded by folks who really want to see it, and may you have the courage to show them.

7. I may not know you but I know you are worthy of attention and love. May all you meet today prove this to you, so you may never doubt or question again.

8. May you see in every person you meet today someone who is loved and admired by someone else. May that perspective lead your psyche in your own interactions, and may you be rewarded for it.

9. We have something in common with every person we will meet. How fun would it be to find out the most interesting thing we share with anyone? 😀 Wanna try with your next stranger? 🙂

10. You have fun and interesting things to say! Look around. Take a deep breath. Read the room. Be kind. Then let the interesting out!

11. What’s on your mind? Who can you share it with who will meet you there, ask you more about it, and take it farther with you? Why not reach out?

12. Oh, my dear darling. There are so many lovely humans everywhere, I know it. Not all folks are out to hurt others. May the next human you meet prove me right!

Ooo, that was fun! Writing them is the easy part–taking, cropping, and uploading the photos is the rate limiting step! I think I could keep going with this theme for a while yet… Maybe for the Ethos jar. 😉 Onward, my friends!!! xo

Love Notes for Work

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Listening to the end of Coming Up Short, Robert Reich’s memoir. Daughter and I saved it to listen on the road trip to college at the end of August. We finished all but the last two hours, which I could not bring myself to continue alone until now, nine weeks later. Highly recommend! His stories are rich and heartfelt, and I respect his principles and values. He is forthright and honest in his unflinching conviction and passion for lifting the middle/working class and making government work for all, not just the rich, an ideal to which he has dedicated his professional life. Reich describes his emotions at retirement, including gratitude and ambivalence. I wonder how I will feel when I stop seeing patients for a living, though I imagine I will always think of myself as a doctor.

So I hope I can come up with twelve excellent love notes for work!

Two days into thirty, I notice how redundant these love notes feel to write and reread all at once. As readers can you see these post titles as a list? Does it occur to you to read the first couple each day this month and save the rest for later? Would it work to dip in and out of this blog throughout this month and beyond, depending on what love note you need/want on a given day? Would you come here to pluck a love note for a friend or loved one? At the same time it feels a little awkward to write them this way, I wonder if these thirty days could be a closer approximation of my love notes pocketbook than I initially imagined? Hmmm, we shall see! 😀

Let us continue:

  1. OK so, my friend, what do you love about your work? How does it fulfill youo and bring you joy? I hope you can count multiple ways!

2. Autonomy. Mastery. Purpose. May you feel these enough or even in spades daily. Now go forth and badass this day.

3. You work. Whether or not you make money is a different story. You spend time and energy doing, and that matters. You. Matter. onward.

4. May the meaning and personal fulfillment in your work far outweigh its stress over the long term! And if not, may you cope healthily.

5. Even if your work is solitary, may you always know without a doubt the positive impact it has on those it touches. And may you(r) support network live at your fingertips.

6. Our culture too often equates work or career with identity. If that works for you, yay! If not, good on you! You contain multitudes. Your job is only one aspect of you.

7. What inspires motivates gratifies you at work today? This week? Ever? May it recur on your consciousness regularly!

8. Whatever B.S. you must cope with at your job (because let’s be honest we all do), may it take a backseat to your mission and purpose. You’ got work to do.

9. However you describe your job — maker, helper, builder or anything else, may you feel meaning and intrinsic joy in it every day!

10. Hey, maybe take a break from work today and *dance*!? 😀 Who knows how life could be better if we all did this daily? Go on, twirl a little.

11. May your next work day bring you the meaning you most need, and interactions with our fellow humans that lift you in the best ways!

12. May you always see, feel, and internalize the value of your work to humanity. You do good, and that matters. Onward! You matter.

Thanks for coming with me on this love note trip with me! Please tell me how it’s going? 🙂