Nuance Alley

I believe the invitation is to a wide and gracious space, one of continuously unfolding creativity, camaraderie, and intentionality.

I believe the gift of life blossoms freely and generously, with few guidelines beyond relentless self-giving love and protective justice on behalf of those with less.

Those whose roots deepen and spread will develop branches that reach further and higher. Those who embrace life’s pruning complications and set-backs will reemerge with stronger, richer foliage going forward.…

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When the boundaries which kept us safe in our imagination’s youth begin to constrict, constrain and choke, we are tempted to consider them enemies to resist, fairy tales to debunk, or doctrinaire scripts against which to rebel.

But we would be mistaken.

They were the guardians of that which needed a safe place to develop, learn, practice, and refine.

What happened next was not that they grew small, but that we grew big.

When one …

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Competence is but an interim illusion in the lifelong process of learning, growing and maturing.

The illusion only turns deceptive when mistaken for reality.

Insisting on the outcome of making a difference for the better… bring on the next lesson.…

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My overarching reality is that I am blessed.

Difficulties within that larger reality do not color the blessedness, but, in fact, are themselves colored by the blessedness.

The larger reality colors the smaller one.…

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A great strength is to know how to learn what we do not yet know.
A greater strength is the ability to be honest about not yet knowing.

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Contentment and aspiration make for uneasy bedfellows.

My aspirations make contentment difficult for me. They pull on me. Draw me. Cajole me. Accuse me. Inspire me. Call to me. Judge me as not enough.

Both positively as a motivating vision to help create a better world and negatively as a condemning judge mocking my desire to achieve what is at first glance out of reach.

Contentment is both a choice and one outcome of discovering …

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I don’t remember when I began viewing my life through the lens of moments… but the shift was transformative.

Moments as opposed to professional achievements. Moments over and against social status or acclaim. Moments versus accumulated wealth.

A close friend recently caught me using “failure” language to describe past experiences of mine that didn’t result in the culture’s definitions of success.

Looking back, though, my life has been …

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