Old platypus, new tricks

Hello you bouquet garnis.

After my (basically) failed attempt at stillness the week before, I expected to spend this past week boiling away in the cauldron of meetings, workshops and events that I was either attending, helping to organize or leading. While I am taking some space this weekend to relax and get my life back in order after the chaos of a very full week (I don't know which is bigger: the pile of laundry, the pile of emails in my inbox or the pile of recycling under my sink), when I look back on the week, to my surprise I am also feeling unexpectedly grateful, nourished and inspired. I did not anticipate this, especially after having such an itch for some stillness and not having had that itch scratched much. I think I also didn't anticipate feeling this good about it because I have led lots of events before, and so perhaps thought I knew what to expect of myself and others.

So how did all these warm fuzzies happen?  Beyond working last week with some positively wonderful people, and contributing to moving the needle on some efforts that I am really excited to be a part of, I think the warm fuzzies I am experiencing are also related to my having been able to settle into a bit of a flow state for the week (or perhaps Ikigai which I have talked about before).   I have been lucky to have experienced lots of flow states in my life, which is basically where one "is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and enjoyment in the process of the activity. In essence, flow is characterized by complete absorption in what one does, and a resulting loss in one's sense of space and time." Now to be honest, by the end of each day I again became acutely aware of time and how much of it I had to be able to sleep before the next day started in earnest-- but until I slipped back into 'earth time', the days felt pretty smooth, fun and relatively effortless. 

So.... surprise! (or at least to me)

I think part of my surprise came from the fact that I didn't expect to get into a flow state: both because of the work (I have not facilitated a day-long event in a couple of years now, and the last major one I remember doing was kind of rough (imagine trying to wrangle a civilized discussion out of a stuffy room packed with frustrated women's organizations while you are sick)) and because I didn't think I was in a headspace to be able to get into the flow like that and enjoy the experience so much in spite of the intense pacing.  

However, I guess in the end I should not have been surprised.  In my experience, the biggest predictor of finding flow is actually what I am bringing to the proverbial table. And the things I am bringing have changed since last I ran an full day event like this. I feel like a different person than I was even a few years ago (but then aren't we all-- plus this article makes an interesting case for reinventing yourself every three years). And with all of the meditation, personal experimentation and reflection I have been trying to lean into lately, even if I am craving more stillness, I think I have been making some slow but steady gains towards 'being' in a more sustained way, and have been feeling a lot more present and open to the world. Because let's face it, even if we are deliberate in trying to understand, we don't really know ourselves very well-- but I am trying!

Side note: I was thinking back to an experience a few years ago when I attended two different social gatherings in one day: one in which I felt connected, engaged and inspired-- basically in the flow-- and one later on in the day where I had a more difficult time connecting with people which left me feeling really lonely and frustrated. 

I remember being so struck by the contrast.  Objectively for an external person looking at the two events, there was not a lot that was different. Both situations involved a group of people gathered together-- on the same day no less-- ostensibly enjoying each others company and socializing together. But subjectively, for me, the two events could not have felt more different.

What I am thinking about as I reflect on that day along with my experience this week, is that the external 'objective' environment-- the stats, the labels, the things-- this is what we spend so much of our energy trying to curate, anticipate and manage. And to be fair, we do have to spend some time planning around these things. But I am increasingly convinced that it is the subjective-- how we connect with people, what we bring from our past/present/future and how we make each other feel-- THIS is what actually defines the majority of our experience of the world in small and big ways.

Anyway... Bring on the unexpected warm fuzzies!

But wait! Is all this talk of attempting to better know oneself a bit too confronting on a sunny Sunday morning?  Then please enjoy this charming video where kids (in French) explain the origins of life and the universe (thanks Vanessa M.!).

Still too much realness?  Then check out this hotwheels xylophone

And PS: Happy pre-Canada day!

From one pleasantly surprised person to another, I am glad that we can change and grow together. I hope you enjoyed this dispatch, and have a flow-filled week!

Until next Sunday,
The Earnest Platypus