Palker J. Palmer teaches that the “the tighter we cling to effectiveness the smaller and smaller the tasks we will take on”.
In other words, you can’t white-knuckle happenstance, whimsy, change, and possibility.
Thank you, Parker.
We needed this brought to our attention.
Time stood still for me today with a quote I heard from the great Dr. Parker J. Palmer.
He said, “As long as we are wedded to “effectiveness” we will take on smaller and smaller tasks, for they are the only ones with which we can get results.”
Here’s a HUGE question for all of us. Is effectiveness your drug of choice?
If so, be careful.
It’s a short buzz with a small ending and the only fix is another hit of the same scenario.
PS – Last week I released a podcast that has struck a chord with many of our listeners entitled “Ludicrously Happy”. You can listen to it here. It was a short riff off of a poem from Rumi and it may help you connect some dots with growing your capacity, increasing your awareness, and living out the difficult and necessary paths for a great-big-lovely story.
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.
“…if people skimp on their inner work, their outer work will suffer as well.” Parker J. Palmer
Ashton.Gustafson 