Oklahoma City is known as one of three horse show capitals of the country. Wellington, Florida and Lexington, Kentucky are the other two. Unlike the scene in the other two locations, shows in Oklahoma City don’t attract many spectators. My horse trainer, Callie, and I were one of a dozen others who watched indoor barrel racing and pole bending last Friday. I learned that it’s all about the pacing.
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I learned something this week about how to see things in a different light. Continue reading
I am not a very patient person. We’re half way through March and it’s snowing today. Part of me is eager for one last sleigh ride, but underneath, I’m waiting for spring. Sound familiar? For those on the west coast, you may be waiting for rain. And for those in the Midwest or South, you probably share one or the other of these desires. There are many more things than seasons to wait for. What does the act of waiting conjure up in you?
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I was talking with a friend about a workshop she went to on happiness. The speaker drew a picture of a set of weights. On one side she wrote “Meaning.” She balanced the other side with “Pleasure.” The lesson was, “Too much meaning without enough pleasure results in burnout, resentment and anger. Too much pleasure with no meaning leads to an empty and hollow life.”
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I was having dinner with a friend in San Francisco on our return from New Zealand, and she told me a wonderful story. Her son teaches kindergarten, and on Martin Luther King day he held a class discussion about the meaning and importance of Dr King’s life. He asked them to draw a picture of what Dr. King meant to them. The room filled with the sound of pencils and crayons scratching paper. One child, with a worried look upon his face, raised his hand. “I don’t know what to draw,” he told the teacher. Another student overheard him, and said, “just take out a box of crayons and keep an open mind.” We laughed at the simple wisdom of this statement. Perhaps we should give this advice to the members of Congress.
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Years ago when my sons, Paul and I had the rare opportunity to meet Nelson Mandela, we asked him for his advice about life. Without a moment’s hesitation he said, “Travel.” I have reflected on his wisdom many times since. Traveling to different places opens our eyes, invites us to question, and brings perspective home.
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Perhaps my years as Geography major at Middlebury College have not been wasted after all. I think I was just looking at the wrong maps. In the external world I am exactly 180° off, every time. It takes a certain mental calculation, like knowing that moss grows on the north side of trees, to determine my direction. But it’s more than that. I’m convinced one’s compass gets set at birth, yet I’ve come to see there are other ways of having a sense of direction.
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They say if you don’t learn the lesson, it keeps returning until you do. Returns are a mixed blessing. I am having one of them as I write from the Cleveland Clinic. Continue reading
Winter, for those of us living in the North Country with below zero temperatures, is an invitation to cozy up by the fire, have a cup of tea with a friend, and sink into reverie. I cherish this season as a time for reflection. I’ve been thinking lately about the difference between self-reflection and the reflection received by, or given to, others.
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The mind is a curious thing. It can be both literal and figurative. The other night I saw the Broadway hit, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, with Alex Sharp starring as Christopher. It was a mind-bending production both because of the insight into his struggle as an autistic, mathematical genius, and also because of how well it was performed. I found myself laughing and crying simultaneously throughout the entire performance.
