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Posts tagged ‘Inquiry’

Oct 5

To Stay Alive

“Like a flower, feel yourself rise above and begin to open.”― A.D. Posey

“Like a flower, feel yourself rise above and begin to open.”― A.D. Posey

“…You should stay alive
As often as possible and keep yourself open
to anything out of place and everything
with nowhere else to go, to carry what’s left
of your voice out and beyond, into, over,
and under, past, within, outside, between,
among, across, along, and up and around
and to be beside yourself when the spirit moves you…”
― David Wagoner, After the Point of No Return

Widen your view
Crack the window
Open the door
Cross the threshold
Big, beautiful world
Open for business
Of awe, wonder, delight
Stay alive
Curiosity, Inquiry, Discovery

“The world is always open,
Waiting to be discovered.”
― Dejan Stojanovic

Mar 15

Wisdom in Motion

“Knowledge strengthened by uncertainty is the heart of superior performance under fire and the key to creating a new standard of expertise – questioning – open, adaptive for volatile time. Uncertainty is wisdom in motion.” – Maggie Jackson

Curiosity.
Inquiry.
Exploration.
Questions.
Seeking.
Tending.
Patterns.
Connections.
Discovery.
Emergence.
May you not know enough to keep asking, learning, growing.
Adaptive and enthusiastic in unknowing and unfolding.
Wisdom in motion.

“When the stakes are high, those who do not know gain the cognitive advantage.” – Maggie Jackson

Oct 23

Beginner Mindset

“The less theorizing you do about God, the more receptive you are to His inpouring.”― Meister Eckhart

“Write what you know. That should leave you with a lot of free time.”― Howard Nemerov

Keep asking questions.
Learning.
Unlearning.
Relearning.
Exploring.
Questioning assumptions.
Asking and then listening.
Asking again.
For answers that are not easy.
Some that never come, remain a mystery.
Not as simple as we make them for our own comfort and rightness.
Too big for the small boxes we put ourselves, others, the world, and God into.
Complex.
Overflowing.
Vibrant.
Rich with texture and nuance.
The less we know for sure, the more we open up to deepening, expanding and growing.
Permeable.
Teachable.
A beginner, fresh with enthusiasm, curiosity and zeal.
The delight of discovery.
Of seeing the same differently.
Know less so you can wisdom more.
Reborn anew each day.

“Be willing to be a beginner every single morning.”― Meister Eckhart

Nov 13

The Mountain Within

“Once we believe in ourselves, we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight, or any experience that reveals the human spirit.” – e. e. cummings

“Men go abroad to wonder at the heights of mountains, at the huge waves of the sea, at the long courses of the rivers, at the vast compass of the ocean, at the circular motions of the stars, and they pass by themselves without wondering.” – Saint Augustine

Weave new things into your daily flurry of autopilot “to do” lists, commitments and activities to expand, discover and deepen. Three of my favorite podcasts that I listen to in the car or on a run that stretch my mind, spark wonder and prompt reflection include:

Everything Happens by Kate Bowler
On Being by Krista Tippett
Poetry Unbound by Pádraig Ó Tuama

Explore, inquire, listen and transform. Fill your reservoir with music, art, poetry, reflection, rest, play. Infuse joy, laughter and fun too. Do not pass yourself at the altar of productivity, checklists and “someday when things are perfect thinking.” Your life is happening today. Pause, sit down and be still. You are pretty awesome, more than enough and worthy. Climb the mountain within.

“Neuroscience research shows that the only way we can change the way we feel is by becoming aware of our inner experience and learning to befriend what is going inside ourselves.”― Bessel A. van der Kolk, The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mid, and Body in the Healing of Trauma