Photo by Daniel Larionov on Unsplash

Inner loops have short time durations.
Not as far to go, so they go faster.

Outer loops can take awhile.
As they go around the outside of the activity at the center.

You see these used in the freeway systems of big cities.
A way to divert the traffic.
The outer loop is longer but can actually get you there faster during high volume traffic at the core, such as rush hour.
The inner loop seems like it should be the winner because it is shorter.
But sometimes, against our intuition, the outer loop is superior.

Lately the outer loop seems superior.
The long slow trajectory around the center, with plenty of time for short inner loopers to spin themselves out.
Businesses and people in it for themselves, playing the short game.
Not looking at the big picture…
That the world has changed.

Is "home" a place or a feeling?
"Honey, I'm home..."

Humans become attached to places.
We like seeing familiar surroundings.
The welcome sight of artwork on a wall announcing our neighborhood.
This tree right by our door, the beauty of our house.
But does it make a home?
Or is a home made by the loved ones within?

I am reminded of backpacking or canoeing.
Loading up your backpack or canoe with the things you need to live.
Then wandering whereever your feet want to go.
Or from one lake to the next.
Carrying your backpack or your canoe with you.
A portable home.
Better for its simpleness, though fragile shelter.

As the days stretch ahead of us, it's good to look at what is important.
Can you be at home whereever you are?
Can you create the peace of comfort of home in this place right now?
I think you can if you try.

Photo by Cristian Newman on Unsplash

How to go on when the world has crashed around you?
Everything you thought you were building disappears
In a slow-moving avalanche that scars the earth with its passage.

I’m reminded of Wall-E who finds a living plant on a scorched Earth.
Hope amidst the rubble.

It’s okay we can’t get there yet.
I can feel the stages of grief rage through me.
Denial…
Anger…
Bargaining…
Depression…
Acceptance…

Without acceptance, there can be no hope.
Acceptance seems far off, as I ping pong between anger and depression.
So angry I could punch someone. Where did it come from?
Then I recognized it as grief.
At least I’m out of denial now. Whew…
And I can see all the denial in those surrounding me
As what it really is.... GRIEF!

Gentleness with self seems the key.
And patience and faith in myself and fellow humans.
May we safeguard each other and the Earth and her children.

Photo by Ines Álvarez Fdez on Unsplash

How can you help someone listen? 
To see a truth that you can see but they cannot?

Pitching the truth in different tones,
Hoping that one will resonate.
Out of compassion for them, for us.

Shining a kind, gentle light on the issue perhaps.
Not a glaring "I told you so" spotlight,
But a "we need to get off the tracks, the train's coming"
urgent, compassionate light.

These are the days when we need each other more than ever.
Maybe the listening starts with me.
With my ability to truly see the other.
To walk in their skin, their shoes.

Once I understand what makes them THEM,
I can understand why they don't want to see.
I can be a little patient and be there when they finally do.

There is safety and security in knowing what to expect. 
In doing things the way they have always been done.
In sticking to your routine.
You know what's next.
Things are largely the same.  Predictable. Known.
"This is how we do things like this..."

Clinging to the way things have always been done keeps us stuck.
It makes us small. 
Limited to what we know.
Afraid to see what could be.
New ways to work, to connect, to visit each other.

I have seen miracles in the past week.
I had a virtual family meeting to discuss an important matter.
Each of us fully seen, voice heard.
I cooked together with my daughter-in-law from different states.
Each us enjoying the pleasure of each other's company.
I met my tribe on a group call for the first time. 
Each of us sharing about the difference we could make in the world right now.
I joined a virtual coworking group and worked with strangers in a silent virtual "office."
The intimidating job search made less scary by the presence of others who I could see.

How can you creatively connect in a time of social solidarity?  How can you not be alone while protecting the rest of us?

I will host another community-wide call this next week.  You will receive an email announcement later today.

Seth Godin has set up a free virtual coworking space here: akimbo.com/virtualcoworking.

Photo by Xiang Gao on Unsplash

What does it mean to shoot from the hip?

Arizona is known for its history of gunslingers.  Tombstone is one of our great tourist attractions. Shooting from the hip means you don't take the time to raise the gun, carefully aim, and shoot.  No, because time is of the essence, you just wing it and do your best quickly.  In the moment.

It's better to act and do your best in that moment than to do nothing at all.  Not sure if you will hit the approaching danger, but you surely better try...

It's easy to tell ourselves there is no point in trying.  What difference can I make anyway?
You surely will make no difference if you don't at least try.

As I sat down to write this blog and considered what I could say, I decided to just shoot from the hip.

What are you facing today that could use shooting from the hip?

Photo by Ed van duijn on Unsplash

“Eat a live frog first thing in the morning and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day.” ~Mark Twain

What an interesting concept!   Eating a frog… really??

I’ve played with “eating a frog first thing in the morning” to see if it will help me get the painful thing done right off the bat. Sometimes it works and the unpleasant thing disappears down the stream of now-slipping-into-the-past. Gone. Forever.

Sometimes it leaves me needing a nap. And I just got up… Maybe the frog wasn’t worth it after all…

So much energy goes into worrying about the thing delayed. Planning ways to avoid it. Beating ourselves up for not facing it yet. Putting it on the list yet again tomorrow or in three days. “It will be easier to face tomorrow.”

I guess I would say eating a frog is helpful, but don’t eat two…

Photo by alexey turenkov on Unsplash

do you see me over here
doing handsprings or
juggling 3 balls and an orange?

can you tell how hard I am working to get your attention?
don’t I look amazing?
so many peddlers,
so many things to see,
how can anyone stand out?


Are you ready to level up and be seen?  If so, I hope you will join me for a special Zoom call to share how things are going with us in these troubled times. I want to check in with you. These are the times to huddle together and realize that we are stronger together.

Monday, 3/16/20 from 12:30 - 1:00pm PDT

Please reply to this post and I will email you the link and how to set the call up.  It will be a call of our entire community.  For support.

Been in a funk all day. Pushed myself out of my comfort zone for too many days in a row and struggling to get back to where I was. Equilibrium. Balance. The scales on each side have equal weight.

Care of self equal to care of other.
Hard work equal to rest.
Noise equal to quiet.
Action equal to reflection.
Time spent outside equal to time inside.

Photo by Roman Kraft on Unsplash

I’m an introvert. Too many days spent talking to others, interacting on-line, or out and about, putting myself out there for all to see and I’m toast. I keep pushing myself to grow. To burst out of my self-imposed limits of capability.

Too many little details weighing on my mind. So much to do... I just found a simple solution. I wrote everything in my head down. On a list. Once written, my brain has some space to just be.  Within the space, I can see a small path forward.  Two steps for today and a starting place for tomorrow.  But first, I acknowledge a self out of balance.  A Self that says "Enough!  It's time to draw inward."