Posted on by Tenneson Woolf

What To Do?

What to do when things are simple is one thing. It’s usually clear. Not something to wrestle with. Might be a to-do. Might be a to-be.

What to do when things are complicated or complex can be a bit more muddy and challenging. More grey areas. More uncertainty. More unknowing. More unpredictability. Sometimes fear. Sometimes insecurity. Sometimes vulnerability. Sometimes stuck.

It was in recent conversation with my friend Charles LaFond that I picked up some sound advice for those complicated and complex times. His voice was clear, rolling off the tongue.

  • Be as good of a person as I can be.
  • Be as kind of a person as I can be.
  • Make good choices for the next 15 minutes.

Be good and kind. I can relate to that. I can remember the parts of me that are good and kind, or that other people see in me as good and kind. Ahh, that’s clear. That’s a good starting point.

Make good choices for the next 15 minutes. It’s nice to feel that all of the future is NOT riding on my shoulders. All time. All people. I know it sounds enormously exaggerated, but it feels like that sometimes, doesn’t it. The mind does that. Fifteen minutes I can handle. It’s relieving and freeing.

I like the feeling of temporary, yet essential reset in Charles’ words. “What to do?” is often the question running in the background for many of us. There are times when that question is noisy beyond comprehension. Even debilitating.

I’m grateful for people like Charles who remind me that I have a possible reset, right in front of me.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Proudly powered by WordPress

Gifts of Circle - Question Cardsasd
Gifts of Circle is 30 short essays divided into 4 sections: 1) Circle's Bigger Purpose, 2) Circle's Practice, 3) Circle's First Requirements, and 4) Circle's Possibility for Men. From the Introduction: "Circle is what I turn to in the most comprehensive stories I know -- the stories of human beings trying to be kind and aware together, trying to make a difference in varied causes for which we need to go well together. Circle is also what I turn to in the most immediate needs that live right in front of me and in front of most of us -- sharing dreams and difficulties, exploring conflicts and coherences. Circle is what I turn to. Circle is what turns us to each other."

Question Cards is an accompanying tool to Gifts of Circle. Each card (34) offers a quote from the corresponding chapter in the book, followed by sample questions to grow your Circle hosting skills and to create connection, courage, and compassionate action among groups you host in Circle.

This will close in 60 seconds

asd
In My Nature is a collection of 10 poems. From A Note of Beginning: "This collection of poems arises from the many conversations I've been having about nature. Nature as guide. Nature as wild. Nature as organized. I remain a human being that so appreciates a curious nature in people. That so appreciates questions that pick fruit from inner being, that gather insights and intuitions to a basket, and then brings the to table to be enjoyed and shared over the next week."

This set of Note Cards (8 cards + envelopes)  quotes a few favorite passages from poems in In My Nature. I offer them as inspiration. And leave room for you to write personal notes.

This will close in 60 seconds

asd
Most Mornings is a collection of 37 poems. I loved writing them. From the introduction: "This collection of poems comes from some of my sense-making that so often happens in the morning, nurtured by overnight sleep. The poems sample practices. They sample learnings. They sample insights and discoveries. They sample dilemmas and concerns."

This set of Note Cards (8 cards + envelopes)  quotes a few favorite passages from poems in Most Mornings. I offer them as inspiration. And leave room for you to write personal notes.

This will close in 60 seconds