The First 3 Christmas Gifts: A Little Life Encouragement
It’s been a rough year. Some of us have lost so much. Lives, livelihoods.. but dammit, we can’t lose hope. Covid has turned our world upside down, but there have also been some bright spots, like really “seeing” people.
But as the year closes, gratitude and Gift-giving are on some minds. I thought a reflection on the first “Christmas” gifts might boost us all. Who doesn’t like a gift?
I’ll start with this: the gifts given to Jesus are gifts for each of us.
My Octopus Teacher: Unexpected Siren on Love vs. Law
🕑 5 minutesOh dear, I saw My Octopus Teacher on Netflix and had such a strong reaction I had to walk–I couldn’t finish.
Like when everyone started turning to ash in Avengers: Infinity Wars. By the time Peter Parker was blowing away, I was eyeballing the Exit at the bottom of the theatre.
My Octopus Teacher was worse. It was real life.
Ok, Rewind.
Get Hard? Life Lesson from Gold
🕑 4 minutes
Imagine a child has a strict teacher and shares their struggle with the parent/caretaker. The adult may say, ‘Chin up! This experience is prepping you for the real, cruel world.’ Or maybe the parent takes action and inquires with the teacher or school.
Or maybe the parent tells the kid their presence actually helps break the cruel world–they are challenging to the teacher’s way of working/thinking.
Life throws so many hits we may be tempted to “Get Hard.”
Wordplay #1: Funk/Fonk/Vonk/Spark
🕑 3 minutes
If you live across cultures you may stumble on language quirks: words your brain hears differently than intended, simply because you’re not a native speaker.
Two night back I saw some fab Torb the Roach vids (thx Siem!), full of mad Breaking, whimsy, and first class funk.
Breakdance: Wisdom From/For The Heart
🕑 7 minutesMy daughter joined a Breakdance class last year. She always loved dancing and had a natural “popping” ability, so I showed her some styles online and Breaking caught her.
It might seem peculiar compared to e.g. swimming or soccer, but the style was as normal to me as street drummers or people passing with purple mohawks (I grew up in cities and various cultural circles).
But this was the first time I got to get close.
It’s one thing to hear about crews and listen to beats as a kid. It’s another to see your own kids rocking out.
And every time she had class, it was like all was well with the world..
Hope & Community: 7 Bright Spots from the Covid Lockdown
🕑 5 minutes
No one toasting New Year’s Eve could imagine that a global lockdown would become part of our human experience.
For all the troubles and straight up grief, the Covid lockdown has also sparked new ways to connect, deeper connections, and a greater appreciation for one another, including strangers.