Sniffing-out the Spectacular

“To look at a thing is quite different from seeing a thing, and one does not see anything until one sees its beauty.” - MINNIE DRIVER - Miss Mabel Chiltern.

Sniffing-out the Spectacular

I walk my dog every morning.  You know my dog, Harry Pupper.  I started walking just for the exercise and then it was also because I could see how much Harry enjoyed it.  I could tell how much he loved it, because he would wake up, pretend to be sleeping, and wait.  Wait for the click.

The click I’m referring to is the sound made by my turning the garage door deadbolt.  It’s the same click that tells the Pupper its time for us to satisfy our need for wanderlust.  Every dog seems to have this desire tucked deep inside.  They love to wander.  So do I.  It’s something we share.

There’s something special about wandering time.  And, it’s even better when done with a buddy.  So, I thought my wandering mornings couldn’t get any better.  I was wrong.

Just three days ago, as we were out, just before the sun, I saw something extraordinary.  It made me stop and capture the moment in a photograph.  It also made me stop and ask two questions.

“What if I lived my life like this every day?  What if, while wandering through each day, I actively look for the spectacular?”

Those questions caused me to decided that the Pupper and were going to test our little “Seeking the spectacular” experiment by actively looking for the special while wandering the next couple of mornings.  And, you know what?  We found that we began to see things we’d never seen, or perhaps noticed before. Even though we’d obviously walked right past them afore.

For example, we discovered one of the most beautiful sculptures we’d ever seen.  As we happened upon it, I remember asking Harry Pupper, “Have you noticed this before?”  

“It just goes to show, that we begin to see what exactly we’re looking for!”  

Of course, as soon as my words hit Harry’s soft furry ears, I recalled one of my favorite movie quotes from the film “An Ideal Husband.”

“To look at a thing is quite different from seeing a thing, and one does not see anything until one sees its beauty.” - MINNIE DRIVER - Miss Mabel Chiltern.

Then, as if scripted, Harry and I happened upon a small, big-mouth-full, green ball.

The Pupper loves to play ball.  I kicked it.  He chased.  We played ball for the rest of our stroll, as the sun continue to rise higher in the sky.  It was second dawning.

Having fun while looking for the spectacular increases its impact!

I walk my dog every morning.  You know my dog, Harry Pupper.  I started walking just for the exercise and then, it was also because I could see how much Harry enjoyed it.  I could tell how much he loved it, because he would wake up, pretend to be sleeping, and wait.  Wait for the click.

The click I’m referring to is the sound made by my turning the garage door deadbolt.  It’s the same click that tells the Pupper its time for us to satisfy our need to seek the spectacular.  Every dog seems to have this desire tucked deep inside.  They love to sniff-it-out.  So do I.  It’s something we can all share.

Thermometer or Thermostat?

“While I was never part of their group, I respected them for the strength they held in their core beliefs.” – Michael Sears

Thermometer or Thermostat? 

“It seems as if all of our institutions have shifted and they’re failing right before our eyes!”  Michael said to me as we were enjoying each other’s company while having lunch together.

I could understand why he had come to such a conclusion as he shared his recent experiences.  At the same time, I was about to experience an unexpected, yet important side-benefit from our lunch-time conversation and it caused me to listen to and explore the idea of, as well as the human need for, belonging more deeply.  

Belonging to something bigger than one’s self, a group or institution, is an important element of what it means to be part of the human family and experience.  Michael’s food-infused stories revealed at least five essential, important tenets of “Michael’s Principle of Belonging,” so I hungrily listened as he fed them to me.

“I never seemed to believe the same things as the majority of others in my childhood community.”  Michael expressed to me, as he began our conversation.  “That was always really hard for me as it made me feel as if I were an outsider.”

He went on to describe more of the personal challenges he faced as a result.

“I know what it feels like to hit rock-bottom.  I’ve experienced such pain personally!  It wasn’t until I came to really understand, and accept, my own personal value that was able to flourish.”  He continued. “Experience has taught me that in in order for a person to be part of something larger than him or herself, the other members of the group have to value them for who they really are.”

That’s the main tenet of belonging to a human centric group or institution.  It is essential to Michael’s Principle of Belonging.

“The next thing I’ve come to appreciate, even though I never held the same core beliefs of my early-life community, is how much I had come to rely on the consistency of the people surrounding me!” He explained.  “While I didn’t share the beliefs of my neighbors, I truly respected them for their, ‘this is what I believe and I don’t care if you agree with me attitude.’  I’ve just recently been able to comprehend what an important stabilizing force their belief-continuity has been in my life.”

That’s Michaels’ Second Tenet.  A person, belonging to any community, has a reciprocal obligation to value the genuine personality of the other members in the group.

Speaking of personal responsibility, Michael said, “I’ve recently discovered my role in that same community!  I’ve become a bridge, of sorts.  There are times when members of our community can’t understand the position of others.  That’s when I’ve found myself stepping in to act as peace maker because I love, understand and value competing ideas.”

Michael’s third tenet is: It is the responsibility of each group member lead out with love.

“It seems as if all of our institutions have shifted and they’re failing right before our eyes!”  Michael said to me, with love and compassion in his eyes, as we were enjoying each other’s company while having lunch together.

When our time together had ended, my thoughts around what he had taught me didn’t end.  I couldn’t quite capture a tie-down, a certain, simple analogy that would allow me to bind all the lessons, he’d taught me, together into one simple, long-lasting, impactful picture.  That’s when I looked at my car’s dash board while preparing to leave the restaurant parking garage on that same wintry, snow-blown day.

First, I checked the outside temperature reading.  When I saw how cold it was, I next turned my hand from the ignition button to the thermostat, just to the lower right, so I could turn it to increase the comfort level in my car.

“Am I a thermometer or a thermostat like Michael?”  I asked myself right after this movement and realization allowed me to internally absorb what Michael had been teaching me.

Adhering to Michael’s Principle of Belonging also means that you and I can also follow its fourth and fifth tenet’s.  People who want to make a difference in the lives of others don’t have the luxury of simply registering changes related to life’s interactive temperatures.  They, like Michael, seize the opportunity, have the ability, and obligation to turn up the thermostat of their love and understanding, so they can make a noticeable difference in their communities and relationships.  If we will, then we’ll make both stronger and they’ll never fail.

Rollerblading Through Life

A young woman rollerblading in an airport terminal.

Rollerblading Through Life

“Did TSA hassle you about those?”  I asked, immediately upon slowing and walking closer to a fellow, young woman traveler.

“No!” The young woman, from Boseman, Montana, said to me.  “I don’t think they have any rules about things like this.  In fact, they’ve made comments about how cool it is.”

Of course, I wanted to know more because of my aching feet and admiration for her creativity.

‘I’m flying between Boseman and Tucson.  I knew I had a long, three-hour layover here, so I thought of a way to have a little fun while waiting around in the airport.”  She continued.

“When I flew in here two days ago, I used my fitness tracker to check the distance from the aircraft gate to rental car pickup and it was a 1.19-mile walk!  Rollerblading that distance would have been a breeze!  You’re the coolest person I’ve ever met!”  I commented while beaming with admiration.

But, my appreciation didn’t stop there.  Here is, perhaps, the more important principle this delightful woman taught me one snowy day, while waiting for a flight in an international airport.

I’ve passed through that same airport six times over the past two weeks and here’s an example to illustrate the story I’ve self-crafted and expressed to others about my experience.

Last week, when overhearing a man and woman ask an information agent how to get to another concourse, he gave them directions with a smile.  And, as you may have guessed, I had to give them a little extra information and advice as well. 

“Make sure you stop to get food and drink before you begin the long walk!  If you don’t, you may die from starvation or thirst before you get to your gate!”

Luckily, they were delightful people and simply laughed at my guidance.  Yet, this conversation with is a perfect synopsis of the story I had made up about traveling through that airport.

We all create such “stories” during our lives.  They build upon each other over time to become thousands and thousands of short stories that combine into one great, whole.  It’s our own unique narrative.  And, that rollerblading, joy-seeking-traveler taught me that our stories can be edited!  It’s our choice.

Here’s what an edited, new story, about my trips through that same airport could have been, had I simply used newly learned “Rollerblading Creativity.” 

“I found the best place in the world to spend time having fun on my rollerblades!  You might not believe it, but a large international airport is a place with the longest, climate-controlled blading corridors ever.  When there, I get to use my waiting time to get exercise, breeze between connections and cruise quickly to the rental car center.  But, perhaps the best part is seeing the reaction of other travelers as they see the ‘crazy’ sixty-something man skating around like a kid!”

While creating this new narrative I was interrupted.

“Paging Lynn Butterfield. Please board now!  This is your final call!”

Upon hearing this I quickly gathered my things and sprinted over to the gate agent.

“Lynn Butterfield?”  He queried.

“Yes!  I’m so sorry!  I was working (writing about roller blading around the concourse) and lost track of the time (because I was having so much fun).”  I replied as the agent scanned the boarding image from my phone.

I walked down the jet-bridge, smiling.  The time I’d spent editing this one short story of my life completely changed my airport experience.  It increased my joy and my spirits.

‘I’m flying between Boseman and Tucson.  I knew I had a long, three-hour layover here, so I thought of a way to have a little fun while waiting around in the airport.”  An amazing stranger said to me a couple of hours earlier.

Thank goodness she was there to teach me about rollerblading through life by editing the short stories, I’ve already created, and will soon write while living a lot more creatively.