Fortune Cookies...Except In Tea Bags

Yogi Tea had the ingenius idea of spreading pearls of wisdom and inspiration through their tea bags. I drink this almost every day, and open the bag has become an event - I get a thrill opening the bag just to read the yogi wisdom inside. It's particularly encouraging when you feel like someone pressed the Pause button on your motivation and creativity. Some of my favorites include:

Your intuition is your best friend.

Chances multiply if you grab them.

The Limitations of Extraordinary

I wrote this article for the March/April issue of the magazine LocaLeben and wanted to share it with you all. If you live in Beaver Dam, you should pick up a copy!

Some of the greatest lessons I learned in life came from travelers. When I worked and lived in a hostel for seven months, my “teachers” were gem dealers, scientists, university students, jewelry makers, arborists, salesmen, hippies, cross-country cyclists, war veterans, writers, yogis, and actors. There was one person I met, however, who changed the way I viewed limitations, and his story is one of my favorites to tell. His name was Aaron.

Rapid-fire. Strategic. Fluid.

At first, he just looked like a kid trying to stand out. This 20-something, Korean-American guest wore simple clothes - jeans and a white t-shirt - but his hair made him different. It was cut asymmetrically, with one side longer than the other, and spiked forward and sideways. But it was not random – it was designed. When he talked with other guests, he spoke confidently and logically; rarely did he trip or take an unintended pause. Other than that, though, he seemed average…engrossed in his laptop at the dining room table and talked about basketball statistics. However, Aaron’s fascinating life caught me off guard over the next 24 hours as pieces of his story surfaced in conversation.

Aaron was impressively driven and he thrived in high-risk situations. Originally from Seattle, he moved to New York when he was 19 after dropping out of college. He found housing by teaching someone English in exchange for a room. He then applied to “9,000 jobs” and received one phone call from an "insane" hair scissors sharpener. Needing an income, Aaron became the man’s apprentice for a year and a half and found himself unexpectedly in the beauty industry (hence the trendy, spiked hairstyle). Independent now, Aaron travels around the country selling his own self-designed scissors to stylists and salons.

But that is not all - Aaron is also a writer. He showed me a collection of short narratives about people he met while he traveled. Intertwined in these stories were the tough situations that taught him how to sell; instances of meeting half-insane, wealthy people who just gave him things; and ways he found places to sleep for free (one involved the urban roof of a guy who slept with his eyes open). His work brought him into contact with people that most of us do not get to see. He entered the little worlds of countless individuals - of every social class and every walk of life – by shrugging off security, safety, and social conventions to meet them (a natural salesman he was). With all his traveling and the fascinating life he lived, it seemed like nothing stood in his way. Aaron’s ultimate goal was to turn the narratives of these people into graphic novels and share them with the world.

Of all his stories, though, the one that profoundly changed my perspective on limitations was about a time when Aaron lived with two young men who had cystic fibrosis. The doctors said they had 10 years left to live. Consequently, they chose to maximize every minute of every day doing things they enjoyed. One of them, for instance, taught himself to hip-hop dance to a “near pro-level” and even competed. Aaron said that being with them was amazing and that watching them push their capabilities to the limit every day inspired him. He reminded me, though, that while their lives were exciting, they were not without hardship. Because of their CF, they lived like hospital patients half the time and had to wear masks at night to help them breathe. Their lives had give and take, and I realized how their drive and abilities came with restrictions – namely in time and health.

When Aaron first told me about these two guys, I took the message to be, “Seize the day!” I thought I should rush out and take bold risks because “life is short!” However, I later understood that there was a more important point: we all have limitations in some capacity, but instead of hindering us, they may actually direct us to do something extraordinary. I thought about the amazing things both the CF guys and Aaron had accomplished, but none of them had everything they could want. Two had a life threatening disease and Aaron, who had grand adventures, was essentially homeless for months out of the year and lived out of his car. It became clear to me that limitations on one’s life were not the issue. The issue was recognizing where you were restricted and then maximizing where you were not. Instead of staring at their boundaries and standing still, Aaron and the young men turned around and moved in the directions where they were free. Limitations weren’t there to deprive you, I realized, but to shape and direct your energy toward what you uniquely do best.

Aaron was only in town for a few days, but meeting and talking with him had a profound impact on my life. I learned from him that limitations will come and that you should keep moving when you meet them…let them shape you. His limitations turned his life into a living work of popular art - dynamic, vivid, and colorful…very Andy Warhol-esque. According to him, though, he was just doing what he could to get by. Down the road, I look forward to reading his book - or several books. I have a feeling that when published, I'll know them when I see them. They’ll be bold, asymmetrical, and trendy…just like his hair.

I Decided That I Want Friends

And so I searched for ways to make instant friends that was friendly for my budget, time, and professional aspirations. After exhausting some possibilities throught MeetUp.com, I landed on toastmasters. I've been a part of toastmasters in the past and thought I would give it another shot. It's not entirely young-friend oriented, but I figured it would help me with my speaking skills and give me some kind of socialization, which I crave like a chain-smoker who wants a cigarette.

Cycles of Art

Some cultures believe history functions in cycles - we are bound to repeat what has been - while others believe we move in a linear fashion toward continual enlightenment. I believe it's both, in which aspects of our lives repeat but they still change. I envision a spiral-like pattern. 

The point of that thought is that I'm thinking about taking an art class. I went to the Tucson Festival of Books on Saturday and the only flyer I picked up was from a place called The Drawing Studio. I seem to be particularly interested in drawing and painting these days. Wanting to be artistic happens to me every year. Sometimes it's photography, sometimes it's videography, sometimes it's something else. Right now it's painting/drawing/calligraphy.

In the past, I would have thought, "This is a sign of my true passion and what I should be doing with my life!" (because that's how I am). Now I relate it to doing dishes or the laundry: it just needs to be done. The desire for art will last...maybe a month at the most...and then I will cycle on to another interest. Probably psychology. I think that's a late spring/early summer habit.

"Either" And "Or"

One of the best things about my job is learning about the interesting clientele. Whenever I send a therapist out to a home visit, for instance, I always ask how the treatment goes. Sometimes I care about the health of the patient, but sometimes I want to live vicariously through the LMT and imagine the places they go. Last night was the latter. I scheduled a home visit for a calligraphy teacher and the therapist who went out there is great at describing people and places. 

"How was the home visit??" I asked.

"It was great! She's a wonderful woman. She had all kinds of artwork in her house."

"Yeah! She's a calligraphy teacher!"

"Well, she's a medical researcher at the university actually, and she teaches calligraphy on the side. But the artwork...there were all these amazing paintings on the walls. It turns out they were all done by her son, who's been painting since he was five years old. He's 18 now and he's going to school for engineering."

This made me stop. Here were two very talented artists whose careers were/will be in scientific fields. In one of my last posts, I wrote about being useful and doing something you enjoy. It seemed to me that some of the most well-off people were those who had a "useful" job and some kind of hobby on the side. I like that combination because it seems balanced. However, I don't know where I want to put my usefulness. I don't know how I want to be beneficial to society. How do I choose? I kind of want to do everything and try everything. 

While I ponder that, I'll also think about taking one or two calligraphy lessons. It's been on my mind lately and I couldn't believe that a teacher essentially came right to me. I can't really afford it, but I'm trying to convince myself I can go without new work clothes or a pair of tennis shoes: shabby chic still has merit and barefoot running is in vogue anyway right?

Tucson Photo Update!

Whole Foods

I know you all were dying to see this after the post I wrote in January. 

The photo doesn't do the outside justice, but it's the best I have.

I remember saying something about seven soups at this new store, but there were actually nine.

Hot Food Bar.

Salad Bar.

Dairy + Juice

Smoothie/Gelato Bar.

 Sandwich Bar.

 Store shot.

Produce.

Bulk Foods + Wine Bar.

This whole stretch of glass that you see is all meat: fish, beef, pork, and poultry. The pre-made food section is way down at the other end of the store along another wall...you can kind of see the beginning of it in this photo. 

You can eat inside... 

outside...

or both!? Yes. Both at the same time.

Sabino Canyon

Cindy and I go walking/hiking in Sabino every once in a while. 

Here are some photos from our excursions. 

You can take the road...

or a side trail.

Cindy in Sabino.

The arms on this Saguaro has arms! How old is this plant!? 

(It takes 75 years for it to grow one arm.)

Tumamoc Hill

This is another place where I go hiking every once in a while.

View of Tucson coming down.
The mountains you see are the Catalinas.

Snow

We had snow in February.