On the big question

At a glance, my pursuits are all over the place.

I don’t really like to compartmentalize. But- it would be nice to quickly communicate what I’m all about with a smaller word count.

Lately, I’ve been working to clarify what it is that ties it all together. Here’s what became clear:

I’m a big believer in something MLK said... that the most urgent question in life is what we are doing for others. I want to help people answer that question.

My travels and storytelling follow a desire to help people connect and empathize across cultures and distance. Applying that to the world of nonprofits and social justice helps empower those who help.

Every time I’ve seen someone go all out in answering that question, it leads to purpose and connection- and that’s something we all need.

On Continuing to Show Up

Keep aiming for a life of full-fledged empathy. Understand that it’s an ideal we’ll never get to fully embody, but that it’s so important to keep trying and to keep reminding ourselves that we’re meant to be here for each other. Take sips of both grace and ambition, and keep showing up.

On Incarceration

Honestly, I don’t give enough thought to the issue of incarceration. My church hosts a monthly meeting focused on racial reconciliation, and last night this was the topic. I had the chance to hear from a couple where the husband spent 25 years behind bars.

Hearing their story- especially their memories of family visits and raising kids with one parent locked away was pretty powerful. What really stood out to me was when the man started sharing about his own childhood, growing up with a mom who’d been assaulted. These things are totally cycles that get passed from one generation to the next.

It’s a complicated issue, and I’m definitely not an expert in spite of all those Ear Hustle episodes I’ve gone through at the gym. I just know that prison shouldn’t be seen as an easy, out-of-sight solution. Everything that happens to a prisoner after a sentence also has huge impacts, at a generational level.

I think that Jesus was being real deliberate when he noted the way we treat those in prison as equal to the way we treat God.

On not holding back good words

Earlier in the week, a thought popped into my head about somebody I know and how they do extremely valuable, often unrecognized work. I thought about firing them a quick message- then reconsidered. It might just be a little awkward. Then I decided, holding back encouraging words is sort of dumb, so I sent that message.

It turned out to be pretty timely encouragement for her at just the right moment.

But why do we do this? Why do we hold back good words for other people? So many of us just need that occasional reminder from somebody else that we’re doing a solid job.

Another time, I caught myself saying really nice things about an intern… the second he left the room. I made myself repeat them once he was back.

I’m realizing sometimes I get shy and stingy with compliments and affirmation. I don’t know where along the lines I got the message that affirming what somebody else was doing was awkward, but that’s a myth I hope to take apart just by working against those instincts over and over.

On Temporary Palaces

True statement. All palaces are temporary palaces. Any guesses where I found it? On the side of a very high-end furniture store in one of our most upscale neighborhoods.

Fitting.

I don’t think we can be reminded enough of how the things we tend to hold in such high regard- status, capital, political power, influence, followers- those things don’t last. Whoever’s on top in almost any arena probably won’t be in ten years.

It doesn’t mean that building things, leadership, and ability are meaningless. But it does mean that they get their meaning from being bigger than any one person, and in order to do truly meaningful work, it can’t be just about yourself.

On Staying in Touch

I recently read somebody share about trying to get in touch with a childhood friend after seeing an old photo. As it turns out, that friend wasn’t doing so well and only had so long left to live.

I think I read that at the right time for it to call my attention.

It gets so easy to take some relationships for granted. Lots of relationships, actually. Especially the “low maintenance” ones where you take for granted your ability to reconnect “after forever, without missing a beat.”

I can totally think of a few I’ve given that treatmeant to. And I don’t want it to take a tragedy of my own to make me want to change that. One of the most common end of life regrets is losing touch with people along the way.

Just thought I’d share my own reminder-to-self to pick the phone up a bit more often.