Horizonal Thinking (VOL. 5, NO. 11)

Here are a few things I’m sharing this month:

1. Question:

• “And one of the things I’ve really—and I struggle with this; it’s not easy to do this—is how do I stand and kneel at the same time, in my relationships with others, especially with those who disagree with me or I disagree with them? Because I’ve got to kneel before them as someone created in the image of God, a child of God just like me, loved of God equally. Love is an equal opportunity employer, and the love of God is equal. So I’ve got to kneel before them, in a sense. And yet, at the same time, I must stand with integrity.” – Bishop Michael Curry

2. Quote:

• “To the body and the mind which have been cramped by noxious work or company, nature is medicinal and restores their tone. The tradesman, the attorney comes out of the din and craft of the street, and sees the sky and the woods, and is a man again. In their eternal calm, he finds himself. The health of the eye seems to demand a horizon. We are never tired, so long as we can see far enough.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nature

3. Poem:

Excerpt from Keeping Quiet by Pablo Neruda:

If we were not so single-minded
about keeping our lives moving,
and for once could do nothing,
perhaps a huge silence
might interrupt this sadness
of never understanding ourselves
and of threatening ourselves with death.
Perhaps the earth can teach us
as when everything seems dead
and later proves to be alive.

4. Something inspiring:

• “Maybe the journey isn’t so much about becoming anything. Maybe it’s about unbecoming everything that really isn’t you, so you can be who you were meant to be in the first place.” – Paulo Coelho

5. New Blogs in my “Football is ________” series:

• Football is Fourth and Goal: “The zero-sum nature of football, where every yard gained is a yard lost, faded away. In that moment, my circle of concern expanded. I went from 11 to 22.”
• Football is One Last Lesson: “I suspect he was seeking answers to these kinds of questions: How do I process this unfolding moment? How do I come to terms with an overpowering force that is taking something away from me that I’m not ready to give?”
• Football is Blown Tendencies: “My emotions surged, tidal-like, and for the first time, I had to focus and expend real energy just to manage my own reaction.”
• Football is Coaches in Circles: “Imagine that—an intergenerational circle of men in their 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s, a group of men scarred by this game, scarred by life, wondering about you, speaking your name, judging your performance, your presence, your attitude–a group of men who genuinely care about you.”

Thanks so much. And, have a great day! – shawn