In The Way Towards … way back in March… I noted that Seneca said “We must seize what flees.” Then, I proceeded to take a break from personal blogging to do just that… awaiting a time that felt right to personally blog again. It now feels right. In this relatively short post to re-ignite my personal blog project, I affectionately call “Sharpen the Blades“, I note that I am ignited by this past Week, in facing wildfire impacts … and in receiving important Health news that needs addressing and will be addressed soon.
Where I live in Mount Pearl, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, we were not far from Evacuation Alerts and I spent the Week preparing Home and Car accordingly. In deciding what I would take and leave behind … there was a process of Gratitude… remembering on each memento discerned and decided. And, amidst these Days… I was informed of the need for surgery for early Fall as well. We caught things very early and things will get addressed. The processing of both events have caused me to (a) return to A Pace of Grace and (b) double and triple down on what I consider to be the 4 foundations for flourishing in times of trail, trial and triumph alike.
That in mind and after a wonderful massage today, I was inspired to reflect on Nebulae of all things. Nebulae are clouds of gas and dust in space, often found in star-forming regions and can be the birthplace of new stars. And some can be formed from the remnants of dying stars. They manifest Beauty in the cosmos too. Gas and dust, from stars dying and birthing. Hmmm. I imagine my Life as a Cosmos, with moments dying and birthing, and the gas and dust from both… manifesting into something new and beautiful. Can those moments of gas and dust produce Beauty? Indeed and in deed. As Marcus Aurelius said, “The impediment to action advances the action. What stands in the way becomes the way.” And so, I wrote a simple poem to me that I will share if it has any value possible for you:
NEBULAE
- The moments of my Life
- of Joy and Sadness
- The moments amidst strife,
- of Wisdom and madness
- are the dust that can cloud or guide my Way
- The trials and the triumphs
- the leaps of Courage and Faith
- the clear road and bumps
- the lessons along the Way
- are the gas that can fuel the journey, I Pray
- The stars, are they aligned,
- my Life a Cosmos to explore
- through good and hard times
- Life lessons and guides, implored?
- The Nebulae of my Life; gas, dust and Beauty displayed.
Today, I am seeing my Life as an unfolding Cosmos, where I get to seek out new Life and new civilizations… to boldly go… to see the gas and dust and the Beauty produced, if that makes any sense. It does for me. The gas and dust matter in forging new Beauty. At this stage and age, I have much still to explore… speaking, teaching, facilitating, training, educating, coaching, mentoring, conversing, sharing, learning, singing, songwriting (Insh’allah), dancing, writing, blogging, vlogging, cartooning, boxing and creating. I have much to serve, and enjoy. And, I have still much to learn.
That said, and especially over the coming months, I will be blogging monthly here, around twin journeys of Health and Service. I work around speaking, teaching, facilitating, training, educating, coaching, mentoring, singing, dancing, writing, blogging, vlogging, cartooning, boxing and creating… in advancing noble Character and higher Purpose, and high functioning, constructive Unity. I say this as I am seeing these next few months as opportunity to “seize what flees” and apply Character, Purpose and Unity to move my own Life and Work (health and Service), ever more so… to explore and appreciate my Nebulae. The Boychild in me looks forward. If that sharing might be of value, I invite you to follow along, The Way.
Barry Lewis Green, The Unity Guy with Epic Engage.
CONSIDER
Developing Leadership Character – Ivey Business Journal
“Intelligence plus character—that is the goal of true education.” ― Martin Luther King Jr.
“Human greatness does not lie in wealth or power, but in character and goodness. People are just people, and all people have faults and shortcomings, but all of us are born with a basic goodness.” ― Anne Frank
“Waste no more time arguing over what a good man should be. Be one.” — Marcus Aurelius
“The betterment of the world can be accomplished through pure and goodly deeds, through commendable and seemly conduct.” — Baha’u’llah