…is here.
Reflect.
Seek.
Peek.
Read.
Research.
Test.
Search.
Discover.
Catch this: seek and find always comes before show and tell.
Ashton.Gustafson
Pause by the orchid. Listen to the bluebird sing. Be love.
Tag Archives: blog
Bug Zappers and Soul Quenching
A few weeks ago I found great clarity in the idea that we must make room in our lives so that we may soak in more of the beauty that we’re here to behold.
This conversation was about consumption, culture supply and soul demand, our social and existential diets, and gaining awareness to just how much of our days are being robbed by the backlit screens on our desks, on our walls, and in our pockets.
I took a new novel to a sports bar tonight. It was weird. But it was the kind of weird that was reverent and right.
I heard last week about a friend who had entrepreneurs over for a special dinner. The goal was to connect these leaders and share with them the purpose of her company in their community. They ate sitting on the floor, discussed four specific words, and heard each other for the evening. I assume it was weird watching everyone squat with a plate and then in the next millisecond I bet it was reverent and right.
Stuff to fill the gaps is in full supply. We call these ‘feeds’. But what’s being supplied isn’t filling us as it feeds us.
It’s in the empty space where the true reflection on our days and lives is had. It’s in vacant moments – the sunsets – the quiet – the jog – the garden – the turning of the page – prayer – meditation – where the soul quenches its demand for transcendence. Make room for empty, don’t run from it. Give reverence some space and watch what unfolds.
The next time your anywhere with many people just look around. And then think of this bug zapper photo below. It’s a scary honest metaphor of what’s happening to us.
Holacracy
Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos, is one of the guys that I’m always taking notes from. Back in March, I read an article in Fast Company about his decision to move the company to adopt Holacracy. Holacracy is “…a new way of running an organization that removes power from a management hierarchy and distributes it across clear roles, which can then be executed autonomously, without a micromanaging boss.”
Today, the book came in.
If you or anyone you know has implemented Holacracy, I would love to hear about the experience and learn whatever you can teach me.
I started reading it tonight and as the book reads – ‘change can be elegant’.
Sounds fun.
Eyes. Wide. Awake.
The more you dig into the universe the more you begin to to notice its’ harmony, cadence, and eternal tone. And when you start to see the lines and know the dots of reality that is when the music in-between the two becomes more and more electric.
Think of the last stranger you crossed paths with that left you better than when you found them. Most likely, they were awake – present – or connected with some idea, action, or insight into reality that you never knew of or never had a proper introduction with.
No matter the season you find yourself in, an awake soul is always a refreshing encounter. They move us to melt the joy frozen in winter, bloom a better bloom in the spring, surf the summer shores, and the soak in the re-energy of autumn as it is intended.
3 Things:
1) If we’re going to be strangers to approximately 7.3 billion people, let’s at least be ones that glow.
2) The awake conversation always starts in the eyes. Show me the direction of your eyes and I’ll show you the direction of your life.
3) “Therefore we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but what is unseen…”
Current Reading List
The Active Life: A Spirituality of Work, Creativity, and Caring – by Parker J. Palmer
If found Palmer’s thoughts on action to be very enlightening. I’m seeing a lot better after these words and will for sure reread again very soon.
Walden; on, Life in the Woods – by Henry David Thoreau
I know I’m late to the ball on this one, but it’s beautiful. I’m not sure if something can become more true as it ages, but it appears that these words are waltzing into our modern world like wine.
Stitches: A Handbook on Meaning, Hope, and Repair – by Anne Lamott
I think we sow for ourselves a blanket over time with our experiences and insight we gather throughout our days. Everyday gathering another piece of a meaning, hope, and joy to stitch to the blanket we’ve been sowing all our lives. My blanket is bigger and my soul is warmer after I read Anne’s words.
If you don’t read and these titles don’t interest you, no worries. But I ask you to give something a shot. Google the galaxies, check out a TED talk, and just find a way to get curious about something. I think you’ll find that the more dots you find, the more dots you’ll connect.
And it’s all connected.
Ashton.Gustafson 