Needed a recess in order to put more anti-spamming shields up for my site. Seems to be working effectively.
As much as I dislike being spammed, it is pretty amazing how fast the Universe discovered my site and began trying to dump garbage into it. We need to use the technology for good! ‘Nuf said.
The other day, in conversation with a couple of friends, the whole concept of what they called ‘serendipity,’ came up. My friend Harold (my friends still choose to be anonymous) was telling us about beginning lessons on the trombone.
You could see the glow in his eyes as he described how he reluctantly went along to a shopping mall with his neighbor. In the mall was a small amateur orchestra, local folks from a nearby community.
Harold had a flush of anticipation as he was drawn to the brass instruments. He had considered himself a ‘non-participant’ in all areas of music, and yet…… somehow he recognized the trombone as a ‘must learn’ for himself, and is presently taking one step at a time…but having a blast!
Was that a serendipity, a case of happy coincidence? Hmm. Those concepts seem to suggest that we are affected by some outside cause. I am pretty sure our soul has some internal form of expression that is trying to surface and we are resisting it. The soul may have been instrumental (no pun intended) in having Harold get to that mall.
Why are we almost certain that things will not work out if we submit to those little voices of inspiration?
Researchers have shown that we are most wrong when we predict how we’ll feel in response to future events – stepping outside our comfort zone. We tend to over-emphasize how a negative outcome will affect us.
When I look at my experiences, I’ve made most mistakes in areas where I had little or no competence….which is pretty predictable, right? But it wasn’t as bad as I’d thought it would be, and I was surprised at how quickly the learning came.
“Harold, what made you decide to start trombone lessons?”
“Years ago, I loved watching the way a trombone player performed in an impromptu jazz group. I never thought I could do that, although there was that momentary flash. But I noticed that the trombone player at the mall made a few mistakes and no one seemed to mind! That did it for me.”
We say, “It’s human to make mistakes.” Yet, we try so hard to NOT make mistakes, that we even restrict experiences of learning in preference to not erring.
We only do what we are sure is correct, right, unerring. We usually measure our worst against the best that is out there, and come away deciding we’ll never embarrass ourselves with those unsettling first attempts.
I wonder what would have happened to Harold if we had made fun of his lessons, especially if he was in a particularly difficult, struggling stage of his lessons. Would he have continued? I certainly hope so.
I would hate to become a part of that crowd who unconsciously kills someone else’s dream. Maybe I am already? Actually, the chances are pretty good that I am, given that I am human.
Better to encourage lots of risks, and be damned about the opinions and limitations of us others!
What has been the point of this article? It feels like a permission being granted to my community to not just attempt the risky, but be willing to make mistakes worth remembering! They are the ones that make the difference and therefore they matter the most!
Rich