thinking out loud

Thinking Out Loud: You Are a Masterpiece in the Making

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Today’s Thinking Out Loud reflection is on Boris Pasternack’s  work, Dr. Zhivago.

“I don’t think I could love you so much if you had nothing to complain of and nothing to regret. I don’t like people who have never fallen or stumbled. Their virtue is lifeless and of little value. Life hasn’t revealed its beauty to them.”

Note: Have you read the Velveteen Rabbit? It’s a children’s book with a beautiful message. We are the sum of our experiences. I like being around real people. People who have struggled yet refused to quit. People who haven’t had it easy and had the grit to get up each day and keep grinding. They know that life isn’t easy. They know if they endure they’ll make it to another sunrise. They know that other people are depending on them. There are a piece of marble that life sculptured into a masterpiece. That’s you! You are a masterpiece in the making.

Thinking Out Loud: Why Not You?

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Today’s Thinking Out Loud reflection is on Lewis Carroll’s work, Alice in Wonderland. Alice in Wonderland is available for free download from Project Gutenberg here.

“There is no use trying,” said Alice; “one can’t believe impossible things.”

“I dare say you haven’t had much practice,” said the Queen.

“When I was your age, I always did it for half an hour a day. Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.”

Note: Why not me? Have you ever asked yourself that question? If you haven’t I’ll ask it for you. ‘WHY NOT YOU! The outcome is certain if you don’t try. If you try maybe it will work out and you’ll surprise everyone. There are examples in every part of history, in every country, among all kinds of people. These are the folks who asked, “Why not me?” Then they acted on it, they persevered through disappointments. They kept working when those around them told to relax. They pushed on when friends left them. Why Not You!!

Thinking Out Loud: What Do You Want Your Words to Do?

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Today’s Thinking Out Loud reflection is on Lewis Carroll’s work, Alice in Wonderland. Alice in Wonderland is available for free download from Project Gutenberg here.

“Really, now you ask me,” said Alice, very much confused, “I don’t think——”

“Then you shouldn’t talk,” said the Hatter.

Note: The world would be much better if we all chose not to talk without thinking. Often, words act as catalyst for us. We hear words spoken and we react blurting out something without thinking. Unlike a package I ordered from Amazon that I can return, I can’t take back the words I utter once spoken. Angry words, harmful words, words that shame and ridicule, hurt the recipient of the words and detract from the humanity of the one who spoke the words. What do you want your words to do? To build or tear down? To heal or to harm? To lift up and inspire or to repress?

Thinking Out Loud: Daring to Ask Dangerous Questions

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Today’s Thinking Out Loud reflection is on Lewis Carroll’s work, Alice in Wonderland. Alice in Wonderland is available for free download from Project Gutenberg here.

“How do you know I’m mad?” said Alice.

“You must be,” said the Cat, “or you wouldn’t have come here.”

Alice didn’t think that proved it at all; however, she went on. “And how do you know that you’re mad?”[77]

“To begin with,” said the Cat, “a dog’s not mad. You grant that?”

“I suppose so,” said Alice.

“Well, then,” the Cat went on, “you see a dog growls when it’s angry, and wags its tail when it’s pleased. Now I growl when I’m pleased, and wag my tail when I’m angry. Therefore I’m mad.”

“I call it purring, not growling,” said Alice.”

Note: How many arguments are started because we’re sure we’re right? My experience is that a lot of arguments are started because two people refuse to admit that there may be more than one perspective. And, both persons may not have a complete grasp of what is right. When we set aside our perspective and listen to the other we create a fertile field for dialogue to occur. Dialogue is hard work. When we engage in dialogue we dare to ask previously unexplored questions because they were “too dangerous” to ask. Here’s a dangerous question: “Can we talk about ______ without either one of us getting upset?” The follow up question: “How do we do that?” Dare to have the courage to dialogue.

Thinking Out Loud: Are You Ready for a Great Adventure?

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Today’s Thinking Out Loud reflection is on Lewis Carroll’s work, Alice in Wonderland. Alice in Wonderland is available for free download from Project Gutenberg here.

“It was much pleasanter at home,” thought poor Alice, “when one wasn’t always growing larger and smaller, and being ordered about by mice and rabbits. I almost wish I hadn’t gone down that rabbit-hole—and yet—and yet—it’s rather curious, you know, this sort of life!”

Note: What we know feels safer than what we don’t know. That is difference between the risk takers and those fearful of taking a risk. A risk taker knows the familiar is safer but has confidence that he/she can cope with the unknown. They plunge ahead cutting the ties to their safe environment. They dare to take a chance. Win or lose they are ready to give it their all. They live without regrets and never wonder “what if.” Do you dare to cut loose from what feels safe to pursue a great adventure?

Thinking Out Loud ~ The Mad Hatter Offers a Lesson About Time

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Today’s Thinking Out Loud reflection is on Lewis Carroll’s work, Alice in Wonderland. Alice in Wonderland is available for free download from Project Gutenberg here.

Alice sighed wearily. “I think you might do something better with the time,” she said, “than wasting it asking riddles with no answers.”

“If you knew Time as well as I do,” said the Hatter, “you wouldn’t talk about wasting it. It’s him.”

“I don’t know what you mean,” said Alice.

“Of course you don’t!” the Hatter said, tossing his head contemptuously. “I daresay you never spoke to Time!”

Note: I once stopped for dinner at a highway restaurant. My waitress didn’t stop moving for a moment. She was going back and forth, this way and that way in perpetual motion. From what I could see nothing much was getting done. I could barely catch her attention. She filled her time with busyness. The time we have is a treasure. A moment of time lost, is a moment lost forever. When we understand the preciousness of each moment, we gain a new perspective of what is important and what is not so important. Maybe the Hatter is right, we need to get know Time.

Thinking Out Loud ~ When You’re Stuck, Begin at the Beginning

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Today’s Thinking Out Loud reflection is on Lewis Carroll’s work, Alice in Wonderland. Alice in Wonderland is available for free download from Project Gutenberg here.

The White Rabbit put on his spectacles. “Where shall I begin, please your Majesty?” he asked.

“Begin at the beginning,” the King said gravely, “and go on till you come to the end; then stop.”

Note: Transitioning to a new job, new location, or dramatic changes in life circumstances are all fraught with stress, anxiety, and often a paralysis. I have a friend whose spouse died. I understood how she felt since I had the same experience. My friend was trapped by an emotional paralysis. Her grief was so great, she had difficulty in doing even the smallest of tasks,. Fortunately, she sought help and was able to ‘Begin at the beginning and continue. . . .” That’s what we all have to do in the transition moments, begin at the beginning and go on until we come to the end.

Thinking Out Loud ~ Where Do You Want to Go?

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Today’s Thinking Out Loud reflection is on Lewis Carroll’s work, Alice in Wonderland. Alice in Wonderland is available for free download from Project Gutenberg here.

“The Cat only grinned when it saw Alice. It looked good-natured, she thought: still it had very long claws and a great many teeth, so she felt that it ought to be treated with respect.

“Cheshire Puss,” she began, rather timidly, as she did not at all know whether it would like the name: however, it only grinned a little wider. “Come, it’s pleased so far,” thought Alice, and she went on. “Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?”

“That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,” said the Cat.

“I don’t much care where——” said Alice.

“Then it doesn’t matter which way you go,” said the Cat.

“—— so long as I get somewhere,” Alice added as an explanation.

“Oh, you’re sure to do that,” said the Cat, “if you only walk long enough.”

Note: Have you ever thought to yourself, “I wonder what I’ll do when I grow up?” Or, “I wonder where all this is going?” We can be parallelized by those thoughts believing we need certitude before we commit ourselves. The Cheshire cat offers us some sage advice, if we start walking and continue walking, we’ll get somewhere. By worrying less about where we want to go and putting our energy into constructive action, we’ll get somewhere, and we will be pleasantly surprised at where we end up. Something good will happen because we decided to get off the sofa and start walking.

Thinking Out Loud ~ How Have You Changed?

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Today’s Thinking Out Loud reflection is on Lewis Carroll’s work, Alice in Wonderland. Alice in Wonderland is available for free download from Project Gutenberg here.

“The Caterpillar and Alice looked at each other for some time in silence: at last the Caterpillar took the hookah out of its mouth, and addressed her in a languid, sleepy voice.

“Who are you?” said the Caterpillar.

This was not an encouraging opening for a conversation. Alice replied, rather shyly, “I—I hardly know, sir, just at present—at least I know who I was when I got up this morning, but I think I must have been changed several times since then.”

Note: We are in a state of constant change. We are not the same people we were ten years, five years , or a year ago. We age. We take in new information. We become influenced by who we meet, the kind of work we do, what we read and who we choose as friends or partners. When you meet someone you haven’t seen in a long time have you ever thought to yourself, ‘He/she changed.’ I have. I see this in family members when I visit. Life has a way of changing us. What’s important during the inevitable change process is to hold on to all that is good, true, and enduring.

Thinking Out Loud ~ A Powerful Question: Who Am I?

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Today’s Thinking Out Loud reflection is on Lewis Carroll’s work, Alice in Wonderland. Alice in Wonderland is available for free download from Project Gutenberg here.

“Let me think: was I the same when I got up this morning? I almost think I can remember feeling a little different. But if I’m not the same, the next question is, Who in the world am I? Ah, that’s the great puzzle!” And she began thinking over all the children she knew that were of the same age as herself, to see if she could have been changed for any of them.”

Note: Alice asks an important question: Who am I? Have you asked yourself that question? If we spend time reflecting on the question and allow ourselves to see and hear unpleasant truths, we have a chance to evolve the who we are into the who we want to become. I think we’re always evolving, we have a chance to choose the direction of our evolution. We can eventually evolve and allow ourselves to blossom into something spectacular.

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