The Bridge #102
in which we hopefully find a way to feel more at home
Hello
& Welcome ! The Bridge is a newsletter connecting the professional and the personal creatively across cultures and a diversity of topics, until we are not only full of ideas but also ready to take action. Thanks for joining in the conversation.
La Rentrée is the period in France we call “Back to School” in the US, and it’s after everyone has taken their summer vacation, and for me — it is like the start of a race. I’m not a very competitive person. I like to see other people win. That said, when a race is about to begin, I get butterflies in my stomach. It’s like, Here we go!! Am I ready? Will I perform well? Will I have fun? Do we need to start right now right now, or can we wait 5 more minutes? Ah, OK - we’re starting. And then we’re off, running for the sake of running, but the competition (of the race) makes it more interesting, I guess(?)…
Maybe it doesn’t have to be a race, and it can be more of a party. Like, I would love for us to all gather and discuss how we reimagine the start of a school year so that, instead of lots of stress, we feel joy at new beginnings, mutual support and capacity to pay attention to the things that matter to us most. What do think about that?
Something to Consider
Speaking of races, what might it mean to live life in such a way that our goal was to win second place, or not to place at all? What if our way of seeing life was to encourage the participation of others, giving it our all, and making “the game” as engaging as it can be, for everyone?
Because sometimes — for me, anyway — it seems like the way it’s designed, we are encouraged to acquire lots of things, make lots of money, and be winning awards and recognition. And that doesn’t work for everyone. For one, the game is rigged. & for two (if that’s an expression), the game is boring. It’s misguided.
We want to feel safe, sure, and we want to feel loved, yes. We also maybe want to achieve some dreams… but it’s not everyone’s dream to make lots of money or buy a huge house. Some of us have other dreams, and… the way the game is designed right now, are we able to recognize all dreams as equal? I’m not sure it’s the case.
A project I have for the next 6-9 months is to see if I can successfully support the fundraising of several impact organizations focused on the empowerment of young people. I want the founders of these small growing organizations to feel supported in their work of supporting teenagers and twenty-somethings. If the young people are living healthier, more creative, more connected lives because of a wide network of community support, then that would feel really good.
Because some young people dream of being a really good friend or thinking outside the box or becoming a singer/father/writer or helping people to learn how to cook… and these dreams aren’t often considered financially viable. Which means the money needs to come from somewhere. What kind of game would it be if we discouraged people from becoming fathers, teachers, friends, local storyteller, or community meal-prepper? Wouldn’t it be a rather sad world if we had a shortage of these things?
On the other hand, if we can creatively re-weave the fabric of human society such that the engineering mind is rewarded in a way that is equal to but not identical to the way that the kind heart is rewarded… we might have a very healthy happy world, indeed.
If the children win, we all win.
Will you participate with me?
Something to Chew On
”Civic Symphony” (a poem featured by Citizen University)
This poem begins by a musical metaphor, and then declares:
it is incredibly easy
to tell the difference
between a concertoor one person just making noise.
As per the mission of Citizen University, the goal of this poem and of the organization more broadly is to counter a culture of hyper-individualism, cynicism, and powerlessness with one of powerful, responsible citizenship.
We are living in a time when this goal need be ever-present in our minds. We are in each moment able to counter the culture of hyper-individualism and cynicism that is so pervasive. All the time I’m hearing people say (out loud or with their actions) “What can we do? I wish I knew how to help. Guess this is just the way that it has to be.” And yet we must shout in reply — “NO - it does not have to be this way. We can ask for help. We can rely on each other. We can figure this out together. It can be beautiful.”
We can play music :) Not only on election day but every day in between we are given the opportunity to practice. Let’s practice making more wonderful music together.
Something to Enjoy
“Feels Like Home” sung by husband and wife Drew & Ellie Holcomb is a song that I discovered thanks to Anna Sale (host of the podcast Death Sex & Money) and thanks to my youngest daughter Gwenn, who took such a liking to the song she started to sing along with the chorus.
Anna Sale had heard a song by Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors called “Find Your People” while she was on a short road trip with a friend. She shared this song in her newsletter, and it has a very nice message. It’s so important to find our people, the ones who make us feel alright, the ones who laugh at our jokes. The lyrics are simple, and the musical style is familiar.
I wouldn’t myself be drawn to Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors because their lyrics feel too familiar, too basic, too simple. Fortunately for me, I’m not the only one picking the songs in our home. Gwenn my youngest was feeling upset one day last month, and I played this song just to soothe her down. She wanted to keep hearing more from this musical ensemble, and so we eventually stumbled on “Feels Like Home” — which became her favorite, and something about the song strums on my heart strings as well.
Something to Practice
Why not write a short poem, paragraph, song morcel or bullet point list enumerating for yourself what makes a place feel like home? What does “home” look like for you? Is it a specific place? Is it a feeling? Is it people? You could share in the comments or click reply to let me know. I’m curious. & I’ll probably try the experiment myself as well, so we can share with each other what we learn :)
Have you ever been driving down a highway /
Looking at the sunset, it'll make you forget /
All the troubles every day can bring /
Have you ever been staring up at the starlight /
Getting pretty close to midnight /
Sounds just like the wind singing your name /
Feels Like… Home,
JPC