I’m an appreciator or things at the scale of “life lessons.” Or “rules for life.” Or, “principles that have meant something to me.” Or, or…
I’m an appreciator of such lessons through the voice of the serious comedian. Yup, Tim Minchin, an Australian Comedian offers this one (thx Dana for putting me on to this one).
There’s a playful seriousness that I love in the questions that we get to ask of each other. So as to deepen our connection. And our learning. And our joy. And our humanity.
The other day is was with a buddy. We mostly connect these days over Zoom every couple of months. But we’ve also had multi-day meanders together.
There’s something sparky in the questions. For my buddy and I, it’s a smile and a breath. It’s not formality in the question. It’s directness. It’s purposefulness. It’s soul filling. It’s soulful way.
And we know that we won’t say it all. It’s just that what we do say, we want to come from a particular energy and spirit that has us deeply human together.
Yup, three questions to give a try. Playfully serious.
WordPress tells me that this is my 2,000th post in this blog.
Wowza!
2,000 was not a goal. It has just happened. Over years of mostly satisfying writing. Over years of wanting to learn. Over years of keyboarding impressions into questions — so often this is what I love, this naming and engaging a question that arises from an experience.
I write to metabolize experience. And sometimes go for walks to metabolize experience. And sometimes draw pictures. And sometimes make sounds with a guitar. And sometimes sit quietly. And sometimes sing. And a bunch more. But writing is what I most miss if I get too busy or too inattentive.
My first blog post was October 14, 2006. So, ya, over 17 years ago. I wrote about my daughter, then 11 years old, as an old soul and a good learning partner. I wrote about taking her with me to a “Bring your daughter to work day.” I worked at a university then.
It was dear friends that inspired me to blog. Much more “early adaptors” than I was. Chris Corrigan was well into his The Parking Lot blog. He continues to write there. Gabriel Shirley was another. I remember his face lighting up when he talked about blogging and creating communities of learning through that medium.
I experimented in the beginning. This blog wasn’t called Human to Human yet. I wrote in binges. Four to five times within two weeks. Then nothing for three months. Then again another binge.
It was about eight years ago that I changed my relationship with blogging. I chose the Human to Human name. It was reminder to me of what and how I most care about things.
My friend Charles LaFond inspired a new frequency and style in me (he wrote a widely read blog called The Daily Sip). It was after a weekend shared at his home, then in New Mexico. I started writing and posting daily, Monday through Thursday, such that I was posting 175 – 200 times per year.
I’ve posted poems, musings, wonderings about the world. I’ve posted exercises for facilitating groups. I’ve posted harvests of events. I’ve posted materials from others. I’ve posted pictures. Sometimes random things that have come across my computer screen. I’ve posted things that feel interesting, that grow some curiosity. Some posts are long — 2-3 pages with links to other resources. Some posts are short — 2-3 sentences meant to create satisfaction with one simple impression.
It’s been fun to go back to things posted over the years. Search functions that let me find things and share with others — yup, that’s been super helpful.
This blog is one of the ways that I learn real time. I learn in public. I learn what I want to say by saying it. I learn what I want to learn by starting somewhere.
Writing — these 60,000 – 75,000 words per year in this form — well that has grown who I am as a thinker. It’s changed the way that I talk. The way that I conceive ideas. The way that I listen. The way that I connect with others in their learning.
Yes, I’m an advocate for writing, for all of the ways that it creates consciousness.
So thanks to all of you reading, whether for a short period of time, or over a long time, or since the beginning. Thanks for coming along. Thanks for jumping in with learning. Thanks for dwelling with an idea here and there. Thanks for sharing posts with others. Thanks for invitations to work together.
Here’s to the “old souling” that any of us do. The way that we plan and grow that. And the way that life comes along to plan and grow us.
In such human to human, deeply friend-shipping, and joyfully animating ways.
I got to be guest on this one. I like the way that Beth is weaving a story across episodes. This episode gives some attention to ways of knowing and how that influences decisions.
Beth and I share a lot of similar interests and vocations. I appreciate the kind of questions she asks. I appreciate the kind of heart she lives from.
Have a listen. Enjoy Beth’s ways of thinking. Enjoy the ways that she invites story and learning. Catch all of her episodes.
