Tag: Inspiring

Rubik’s Cube and Possibilities

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Last weekend I learned to solve a Rubik’s cube!  No, I am not a genius, and, Yes, I did use the YouTube to learn how to solve it.  Nevertheless, I’m quite proud of myself.  Our kids had received mini cubes in their Easter baskets, and that afternoon I just decided I was going to learn.  (Side note:  Do not learn on a mini cube; they are frustrating as heck to learn on.)

I grew up in the 1980s, so, of course we had a Rubik’s cube in our game cupboard.  I probably half tried it a few times, but I think I knew the task was out of my reach, so I never put much time or thought into it.  When the Rubik’s cube gained in popularity once more and YouTube was a resource, I still didn’t really care enough to try learning.  But, for some reason, magically, it was time. (Ok, ok. I’m procrastinating on a big project right now, but that’s besides the point.)

I went from being super amazed and proud at solving the cube at all to realizing I could do it in 5 or 6 minutes.  What?!  By the third day, my time was down to about 3 minutes.  And now, a week later and after combining two methods, I’m consistently under 2 1/2 minutes.  I’m certainly not a “speed cuber,” nor do I necessarily aspire to be (ok, maybe a little), but I’m feeling pretty rad about all of this.

But one of the coolest, unexpected side effects of learning The Cube is that I am looking at all the other seemingly difficult things I’ve wanted to learn or accomplish, and it all just seems so….possible.  Learn ASL?  Sure, I can do that.  Working towards my first-ever splits?  Yeah, I got that.  Knitting socks?  Of course.  Writing a book?  No problem.  Threading a Serger?  Why not.  Getting through another day of meltdowns and tantrums? Easy peasy.

There are 43 quintillion (!!!) possibilities on a Rubik’s cube.  Which is totally insane, right?  So, if I can solve that in less than 2 1/2 minutes, just think of all that I could accomplish.

Amira

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Amira Willighagen in Venice

I’m a complete sucker for music that moves people and brings people together.  For decades I’ve cried tears of pure joy when people get up and sing the National Anthem.  When I was a young child obsessed with The Beatles, I knew I was experiencing magic when watching videos of them perform.  And now, looking back, I don’t even know if it was their music so much as the way it affected people.  But, I guess that’s really one and the same though, isn’t it?

I stumbled across Amira Willighagen in the most random of ways on the YouTube.  And while she’s been well-known throughout the world for many years now, I just fell in love with her.  In the past, especially as a former music major, I feel like I’ve been surrounded by people who are cynical of young musical prodigies.  Arguments abound as to why these young children shouldn’t be doing this.  Sometimes it’s concern for their vocal cords or for their emotional well-being.  Maybe it’s the argument that they shouldn’t be singing about the big things of life before they’ve experienced them.  And while perhaps some of these arguments might hold some validity, I think these mostly stem from places of jealousy.  And my older self sees that these young musicians are actually (often) much closer to a more spiritual and pure place than most adults.  They can connect to the Other World that is music in a much more natural way.  So, I say Huzzah to that.

But, wow.  This video.  Are you kidding me?!  A gorgeous, picture-perfect evening in Venice.  Audience members dressed in their best and members of the orchestra and choir dressed in actual ball gowns!  Oh, my heart.  And then this beautiful, calm angel walking onto the stage, in a dress that I would freely wear every single day if I could, sings the lovely O Mio Babbino Caro.  Oh, how I love this song.  I don’t really care what the translation is or if a 10-year old “should” or “shouldn’t” sing it.

But one of my favorite parts, always, is watching people’s reactions.  I can’t help but swell with a love for humankind when people connect over a shared experience like this.  Wiping away tears or gasping with amazement.  Closing their eyes in pure peace and joy.  (By the way, I realize a camera would never ever show a close-up of me at something like this, as I would be a mess of sobbing tears mixed with slightly psychotic laughter at the sheer beauty of it all.)  Anyway, give a pause and watch this.  Seriously magical.

(And I don’t often scroll through comments, but I did a little bit and fell in love with this one–“Does God know he’s missing an angel?”)

Programming with Purpose

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This is an amazing keynote talk my friend Ish gave in 2019 at Swiftfest Boston.  Swiftfest is a conference for iOS developers, but this isn’t a talk about formulas and code.  It’s a talk about Life and Goodness.  About breaking out of boundaries and fears and taking steps towards following our dreams.  It’s about enjoying life’s moments and not taking our loved ones for granted.  It’s about the actions we take that can change people’s lives.  And it’s about finding our purpose.

I know that in our rush society, people seem to want short snippets of videos and audio while they’re going about their days, so 25 minutes is an investment.  But–if I may–you owe it to yourself to watch this.  If you notice the tags below, this video covers just about everything.  (The original talk isn’t allowed to be posted, so I’m beyond grateful Ish has put this together.)

Ish has a way of speaking and thinking that puts people at ease and helps them tap into their true selves.  Even before I became close friends with him, he’d ask me how I was doing in such a sincere way, that I always stopped in my tracks to truly reflect and consider how I was, instead of resorting to the automatic, “Fine. And you?”.  He’s the guy people meet for the first time and feel like they’ve known forever.  People open up to him with stories and questions and conflicts and joys, because he really listens without judgement or assumption.  He helps people through their problems, not by giving advice, but by listening to what they say and holding the space for them to find their own conclusions.  I can say with absolute certainty, I would not be where I am today without him.

I realize I’ve digressed a bit, but I wanted to take a moment to share a little bit about Ish, because I am hoping it will inspire you to take a pause and watch this video.  A beautiful reminder about what is good in life and how we can help make it even better, just by being ourselves.

All Thirteen

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All Thirteen (2020) by Christina Soontornvat

I must start by saying this:  I didn’t want to read this book. 

Ok, that’s not exactly true.  I heard an interview with the author on KidsAskAuthors podcast, and I really, really wanted to read this.  I’m usually pretty out of the news loop as it is, but in summer 2018, I was in complete parenting survival mode.  So, I wasn’t experiencing this on the news or on social media the way that apparently the whole entire world was.  No, the interview on Grace Lin’s show was honestly the first I’d heard anything about it.  And I wanted to hear more.  And I could tell Christina Soontornvat had done an amazing job, because, well, I could just tell she was awesome by her interview. 

But….I am TERRIFIED, I mean terrified, of small, enclosed spaces.  I’m a claustrophobic, panic attacker to the Nth degree.  So, reading a story about 13 people trapped in a cave for 18 days?!  Well, sounds kind of wussy after reading this incredible story, but I just didn’t think I could do it.  So, I did the next best thing.  I ordered the book from the library to assign to my husband to read and tell me about it.  (Shameless, I know.)  But then, I picked it up one night.  Just to read the opening, y’know.  And that was it.  I was hooked.  I had to go tend to a child soon after and didn’t get too far, but the next morning I read the entire rest of the book.  There was zero way to put it down.  Zero.

So, in case you, like me, were in some sort of metaphorical cave of your own when this all happened, the basic story is this:  12 boys and their soccer coach decided to go explore a cave after practice one day.  Only, when they go to leave, they discover they are trapped by rising water.  They find a small place to shelter deep within this cave and there they wait.  Meanwhile, unbeknownst to them, their rescue becomes an international mission.  Groups and individuals are brought in from all over the world to help rescue these soccer players.  People are glued to their screens (except, apparently, me) wondering what will happen.  How will this end?

I think what I loved so much about this story and what drew me to overcome my claustrophobic fears about reading it, was seeing how many people worked so hard and risked so much to save people they had never met.  It was 10 days before anybody even knew if these boys were alive.  To have that much faith and that much determination in order to save these precious lives just makes my heart overflow with hope for humanity.   And I love that the author doesn’t ignore that this was the work of so many more people than just the incredibly brave heroes who were in the cave.  With any big event, there is food that is needed and clothes to be washed.  Sometimes I’m a bit cynical about news reporters, but I loved hearing how news stories brought the supplies that were very much needed.  I can also be a bit hesitant about new technologies.  But to hear how they are used in a situation like this is sobering.  And just think of the translators needed…

I’m just in awe of everyone involved in this event.  The soccer players who were able to wait in a small, dark, trapped space without food or any reassurance that they’d be rescued.  It’s a huge inspiration for finally starting meditation, because, Wow.  And then the people who came to the site, whether from town or from halfway across the world.  Who worked together and worked through cultural differences to come up with a solid plan to save these precious human lives. 

This story is one of hope and good.  Of faith and trust.  Of the strength of the human spirit and of the truly miraculous things we can do when we work together. 

I read much of this through blurry tears.  And whether you were involved in the story as it was happening or not, I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

Caine’s Arcade

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Caine’s Arcade

This is a beautiful video about creativity, believing in people, and supporting each other’s dreams.  Life at its best here, at a little used auto parts shop in the middle of L.A.

I read about this story in Kid President’s Guide to Being Awesome.  And, like many viral videos, I somehow missed it altogether.  But, here I am 8 years later…  When I read about Caine’s Arcade, I immediately thought of our daughter, as she loves creating things like this all the time and is always eager to share with the world.  And, as her mama, sometimes it’s overwhelming keeping up with all the creativity and ambitious projects in the way I’d like, but I love that she just goes with her ideas.  She’s built “toe shoes” from cardboard pieces and “DVD players” with a collection of DVDs in cases that have to be inserted into a machine.  We have “key cards” to get into our bedrooms and a “phone and charger” made entirely of paper.  It’s one of my number one reasons for wanting to homeschool, because the busyness of school days and after-school activities doesn’t always allow the space for such projects.  I love that Caine’s dad encouraged him to follow through with his arcade and gave him the freedom and space to make this dream a reality.  And I love that the film maker, Nirvan, stopped to play.  I once read advice to always stop at kids’ lemonade stands, and I’ve kept this a priority ever since.

I also love this follow-up video, showing how this one choice Nirvan made to stop and buy a Fun Pass changed both his life and Caine’s.  Encouraging kids’ creativity has been lost to standards and getting through curriculum.  We don’t know what problems our kids will be facing when they’re grown, but we CAN nurture creativity and problem solving through play.