http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/7579418/there-goes-neighborhood-#8212-floyd-mayweather-tweet-williams-sisters-jeremy-lin
She is Chinese, though she was born in this country, as were her parents. She is very aware of Jeremy Lin and what is going on with him.
We just finished watching the wonderful series Friday Night Lights. It went on for five seasons and we had never heard of it, but our son recommended it, said it was excellent, and it is. We streamed it on Netflix and finished the last episode last night. Most nights, we sat with tears running down our faces. It was sweetly done. It deals with racism, and passion, and conviction.
I finished the book Quiet, The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain. I recommend it.
What she concludes is that what matters is conviction. When we believe in something, we make a difference whether we are an introvert or an extrovert. Look at Rosa Parks and Gandhi, introverts! Eleanor Roosevelt, an introvert. Franklin Roosevelt, an extrovert. We need both, and most of us are a composite anyway, so it is to honor what we believe in, and bring that forth. She believes the financial crisis would not have happened if the introverts had been given a voice. Extroversion is what is taught and forced in our schools right now, especially in the Ivy League MBA programs. Introverts pause to think. They evaluate risk. We need their reflective natures, their sensitivity, their ability to process complex thought. We need to let them speak.
Our neighborhood trees are vibrating with pink and white. It could be snowing as blossoms blow through the air, warm snow. We took a walk around our neighborhood yesterday evening, thought we might get some exercise. We passed two houses, then, at the third, a neighbor invited us in for wine. We declined, saying we were out for a walk.
We went a little further and ran into another neighbor who makes harmonicas as a hobby. Stevie Wonder uses his harmonicas, and he had just been down visiting him in L.A. and said he is a great guy. He enjoyed seeing how he rehearses and how a show goes together.
Then, we rounded another corner, and observed a life-size mountain lion carved from a fallen tree trunk. He is stained golden, and surrounded with gold rocks. He could be lying on the rocks in Moab, or on our hills in fall.
Another corner, brought another neighbor. We talked about the value of hypnotherapy and the importance of honoring our dreams.
As we rounded the corner to the home stretch, we saw the neighbor across the street, and were invited in for wine and appetizers. This, we did accept.
Maybe we didn't get much exercise, other than the movement of our mouths, and the movement of natural beauty passing through us, but my eyes fill with tears as I type this, tears for the beauty of my neighborhood, tears for the beauty of community. We've lived here over 34 years, and each year, the blossoms bloom, and maybe each year, despite the political antics right now, we get a little closer to knowing why we are here.
Passion; Conviction; Family; Friends.