One thing I’m grateful for is the availability of creating playlists. They are a tool for wellness and many other things.
My Easter playlist is one of my favorites. Usually each year I edit it, typically by adding new songs. I’m not doing that this year. I’m enjoying the familiarity of the existing 20 songs, letting them remind me why this week matters.
Most of the songs were released over a decade ago, and probably half of them never made it to radio. They are hidden gems to my spirit.
I encourage you to check out my playlist for two reasons:
Each aging day I’m realizing it’s a fantasy to think there is another human being who thinks and acts exactly like me. Some days I wallow in it. Most days I accept reality.
Example #1: Not all my running friends agree with me about ideal running conditions. Mostly the disagreement is temperature. The longer the run the cooler the preferred temperature (upper 40’s-lower 50’sF). For 4-6 mile runs, just keep it out of the 60’s, please.
Example #2: Even more of my friends don’t view engaging politics and current events how I do. Some would say I need to pick a side or at least stay more informed. I’m pretty adamant that the best approach is meeting in the middle and pursuing unity over division.
As I read Randy Woodley’s Becoming Rooted, I thought about several of my friends. Some would never read this book. Some would thoroughly enjoy it. And there I sit in the middle, perfectly content.
Although it’s designed as 100 meditations to read daily, I chose to read several in a sitting. The meditations are grouped under 10 sections, 10 meditations each. Just a couple of pages, each meditation punches a thought ending with an action step. Thoughtful and practical. Challenging and unifying. Welcoming disagreeing friends into a conversation to remind you that you are connected to each other and therefore rooted to one another.
Woodley sums up his efforts through the meditations with this list of values in the final one:
Respect: Respect everyone. Everyone and everything is sacred.
Harmony: Seek harmony and cooperation with people and nature.
Friendship: Increase the number and depth of your close friends and family.
Humor: Laugh at yourself; we are merely human.
Equality: Everyone expresses their voice in decisions.
Authenticity: Speak from your heart.
History: Learn from the past. Live presently by looking back.
Balance work and rest: Work hard, but rest well.
Generosity: Share what you have with others.
Accountability: We are all interconnected. We are all related.
Back to my fantasy, maybe more friends will choose to read this book than I imagine.
Last year I made a traveling decision. Whenever I could, visit art centers and galleries wherever I travel. I’m glad I did.
Reason #1: The beauty created and vulnerably shared by artisans deserves encouragement.
Reason #2: The many mediums available for artistic expression deserve appreciation.
Reason #3: Supporting artists with donations or purchases empowers them to continue producing works of beauty inspiring awe and wellness. You might say I’m making a stroke on the community art canvas. It’s something we all can do that doesn’t require legit talent.
Today I visited The Valley Art Center in Clarkston, Washington. Besides enjoying the displays, I was honored to speak with artist and board member Robin Harvey. She was a wealth of information and shed light on unique approaches the center has that were new to me.
I’d like to give a shout out to these other artists whose works I admired:
John Gregory 