Apr
29
2012
drawing:. pie chart of my weekend.
Apr
25
2012
inspiration:. henri j.m. nouwen
print by jon contino
“The cup of sorrow and joy, when lifted for others to see and celebrate, becomes a cup to life. It is so easy for us to live truncated lives because of hard things that have happened in our past, which we prefer not to remember. Often the burdens of our past seem too heavy for us to carry alone. Shame and guilt make us hide part of ourselves and thus make us live half lives.
We truly need each other to claim all of our lives and to live them to the fullest. We need each other to move beyond our guilt and shame and to become grateful, not just for our successes and accomplishments but also for our failures and shortcomings. We need to be able to let our tears flow freely, tears of sorrow as well as tears of joy, tears that are as rain on dry ground. As we thus lift our lives for each other, we can truly say: “To life,” because all we have lived now becomes the fertile soil for the future.
But lifting our cup to life is much more than saying good things about each other. It is much more than offering good wishes. It means that we take all we have ever lived and bring it to the present moment as a gift for others, a gift to celebrate.
Mostly we are willing to look back at our lives and say: “I am grateful for the good things that brought me to this place.”
But when we lift our cup to life, we must dare to say: “I am grateful for all that has happened to me and led me to this moment.” This gratitude which embraces all of our past is what makes our life a true gift for others, because this gratitude erases bitterness, resentments, regret, and revenge as well as all jealousies and rivalries. It transforms our past into a fruitful gift for the future, and makes our life, all of it, into a life that gives life.
The enormous individualism of our society, in which so much emphasis is on “doing it yourself,” prevents us from lifting our lives for each other. But each time we dare to step beyond our fear, to be vulnerable and lift our cup, our own and other people’s lives will blossom in unexpected ways.
Then we too will find the strength to drink our cup and drink it to the bottom.”
Henri J.M. Nouwen
Apr
22
2012
inspiration:. an excerpt from the final sermon of Kyle Lake.
At the end of Garden State, Andrew Largeman has undergone a transformation. For the first time in his life, he’s realized a sense of homesickness that he’s felt for so many years – that he’s been running from. He’s prevented himself from feeling, but what Sam does is that she gives him permission to be himself. To experience the here and now in a relationship of honesty and vulnerability. In grieving the death of his mom. In the comfort, warmth and messiness of friendship.
And here I think God is saying to each of us, “Abandon your plans of escape. And Be where you are. Plant gardens and live and live well.” I don’t know what your planting gardens may look like, but let me end there by trying to provide a glimpse into what that may be like:
Live. And live well.
BREATHE. Breathe in and breathe deeply. Be PRESENT. Do not be past. Do not be future. Be now.
On a crystal-clear, breezy, 70-degree day, roll down the windows and FEEL the wind against your skin. Feel the warmth of the sun.
If you run, then allow those first few breaths on a cool autumn day to freeze your lungs and do not just be alarmed, be ALIVE.
Get knee-deep in a novel and lose track of time.
If you bike, pedal HARD… and if you crash, then crash well.
Feel the satisfaction of a job well done – a paper well-written, a project thoroughly completed, a play well-performed.
If you must wipe the snot from your 3-year-old’s nose, don’t be disgusted if the Kleenex didn’t catch it all… because soon he’ll be wiping his own.
If you’ve recently experienced loss, then GRIEVE. And grieve well.
At the table with friends and family, LAUGH. If you’re eating and laughing at the same time, then might as well laugh until you puke. And if you eat, then SMELL. The aromas are not impediments to your day. Steak on the grill, coffee beans freshly ground, cookies in the oven. And TASTE. Taste every ounce of flavor. Taste every ounce of friendship. Taste every ounce of Life. Because it is most definitely a gift.
Apr
18
2012
comics:. sun.
if you work in a cubicle or perhaps live in a rainy city *cough*portland*cough*, this could be a familiar lament. i realize i’ll win an eisner for this brilliant writing, but really the true artist here is my extremely talented friend brendan manning. i don’t even think he has a website. what? come on!
Apr
16
2012
drawing:. skull & girl.
sketching around an idea i’ve had for awhile tonight. realized two of the three pieces need to change but arranged what i had differently before i start over.
Apr
13
2012
personal:. PNW Crew on The Berrics.
Apr
12
2012
personal:. caine’s arcade.
Apr
12
2012
personal:. new man media video release.
my friend dan newman of newman media is a genius. video by him, released two days ago.