The Bridge #109
in which we prepare for peace, with time to breathe
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.
I wanted to learn a little more about these blue willow china plates that we brought with us to France a long time ago, and found it amusing that ours were at some point made in Japan, only to discover when looking up the proper name for these plates that the design was created centuries ago in Great Britain. We sometimes forget that “globalization” is not exactly a recent phenomenon.
More importantly, the mythology of “blue willow” is almost as good a story as the christmas carol or ovid’s metamorphoses: A wealthy businessman’s daughter has come of age. He is picking out the right partner for her, but she falls for the “poor” secretary. He (the father) is rather upset, when he finds out, so the couple flee across the sea. He chases them down and is about to re-capture his daughter and punish the secretary when the gods intervene and turn the lovers into doves.
Which just goes to show you that hidden all around us are unexpected stories, which we can re-discover with a little curiosity, and time to breathe.
Something to Consider
The end of December is always a really dark time, if we live in the northern hemisphere. Which is why we need the LIGHT of good people, good food, and the good mood that traditions new and old can bring!
Grateful to my eldest daughter for helping with decorating the tree this year; grateful to my cousin (who visited end of last month) for helping carry the tree to our apartment; grateful to those we’ll see and spend time with these next few days, as the warmth of quality conversation and heart-felt laughter really calms the nerves during a time that otherwise feels so cold and lonely.
Another thing that helps soothe the soul (for me) during the time between December and January: I love introspection, taking account of what I’m thinking and feeling. It helps to remind myself that the calendar is something we invent, and it’s a tool that can help inspire us to remember all that we want to celebrate, or it can be a weapon of entrapment reminding us why we’re never ever doing enough (we’re behind schedule, we’re running out of time, etc). I choose to celebrate the growth in my life, the challenges overcome, the community of mutual support that carries me through. Thanks to all of you!
How are you bringing calm, warmth, and light to your life during this holiday season?
Something to Read
Going to try something new for this particular edition of The Bridge, because I’m imagining that some of you might want something interesting to read during the holidays. Perhaps you aren’t expecting to have time to read an entire book, but could spare some minutes to read an essay and allow the ideas there make conversations around you more meaningful.
So I’m sharing four essays from which to pick :
24 Days of Making, Doing, and Being — Digital Advent Calendar — Creative Fuel
Anna Brones shares how since 2017 she’s been helping others to resist consumerism during the holiday season by publishing a newsletter that focuses on craftiness, creativity and mindful presence. For her it’s about sharing bits of magic to inspire, and I certainly felt inspired (also knowing what dedication it takes to put something together like that).
Instead of gifts…write poems! — Casper ter Kuile
Casper ter Kuile of the Sacred Design Lab (author of the book The Power of Ritual) shares a Dutch holiday tradition of writing and reading out loud funny/sarcastic, rhyming poems for the people you love. It feels like an improvement not only on excessive gift-giving but also on Hallmark. Depending on the culture you’re in, though, might be more or less important to keep the ribbing jokes kind.
Forging New Paths to Peace — New Pluralists
An essay / interview published this past summer, after the attempted assassination of President-elect Donald Trump in western Pennsylvania, speaks of the deep, interconnected challenges faced in America (Specifically, Americans becoming so isolated in general that they are more vulnerable to extreme points of view). Change is possible and requires action: Relationship building (talking to others different from us) can really help. Expanding our tolerance of ambiguity (non-black-and-white-thinking) also helps us choose more peaceful solutions.
When Did Compromise Become a 4-Letter Word? — The Preamble
When members of political parties (whether elected officials or the voting public) behave like members of warring tribes, it’s unhealthy. Sadly experts are finding that many do not realize how modern media technology can be used to sow chaos, division and cynical resignation.
That said, if we can pay closer attention and observe how our political leaders behave, we can choose to support those who talk to the other side with openness. We can remember that “Compromise” is a healthy and legitimate action to pursue.
Something to Enjoy
Maybe it’s not unusual to use a drone camera during a live concert, but when I saw Eddy de Pretto at the Accor Arena in Paris a few weeks ago it was my first time seeing a drone used. (then again, I haven’t been to too many concerts lately.) It certainly added to the fun and the magic to see him perform the song this way in a concert he’d dreamed of doing since he was very young. Also helped that this (“etre biennn”) is one of my favorite songs from his new album because it has such a relatable theme, but also describes well his sincerity and sensitivity.
Speaking of which… (for context) Eddy de Pretto became a music sensation in France 7-8 years ago, combining rap with pop and a lot of vulnerability about the complex messaging we receive around “masculinity.” So I have loved him from the get-go, because it takes incredible courage and strength to say or sing what he chooses to articulate.
And in this most recent song, he speaks from the standpoint of celebrity as well as that of a healthy human wanting to stay in touch with their regular human emotions under pressure from a semi-toxic culture: He sings of how we’re told to work (too hard), look (perfectly) good, have (lots of) money, and be (ridiculously) self-confident. He speaks of what after all he’s learned really matters, no matter what they say.
I have only one goal in life /
To be alright being me /
To feel good in my own skin /
To feel OK / to feel good /
Something to Practice
So as a wrap-up, I ask you reader:
What helps you feel good in your own skin?
What makes you feel good more generally?
The holidays are here to remind us to connect kindly with others, and
we do it best when connected to ourselves and what we need.
Happy you’re you, happy I’m me,
JPC 😊