1. Yitzhak Perlman, the great violinist, was playing in New York. Yitzhak Perlman was crippled by polio as a young child, so the bottom part of his body doesn't work well and he wears these very prominent leg braces and comes on in crutches, in a very painful, slow way, hauling himself across the stage. Then he sits down and, very carefully, unbuckles the leg braces and lays them down, puts down his crutches, and then picks up his violin. So, this night the audience had watched him slowly, painfully, walk across the stage; and he began to play. And, suddenly, there was a loud noise in the hall that signaled that one of his four strings on his violin had just snapped.
Everyone expected that they would be watching Yitzhak Perlman put back the leg braces, walk slowly across the stage, and find a new violin. But this is what happened. Yitzhak Perlman closed his eyes for a moment. Yitzhak Perlman paused. And then he signaled for the conductor to begin again. And he began from where they had left off. And here's the description of his playing, from Jack Riemer in the Houston Chronicle:
"He played with such passion, and such power, and such purity, as people had never heard before. Of course, everyone knew that it was impossible to play this symphonic work with three strings. I know that. You know that. But that night, Yitzhak Perlman did not know that. You could see him modulating, changing, recomposing the piece in his head. At one point, it sounded like he was de-tuning the strings to get new sounds from them that they had never made before. When he finished, there was an awe-filed silence in the room. And then people rose and cheered. Everyone was screaming and cheering and doing everything we could to show how much we appreciated what he had just done. He smiled. He wiped the sweat from his brow. He raised his bow to us. And then he said, not boastfully, but in a quiet and pensive and reverent tone,
"'You know, sometimes it is the artist's task to find out how much music you can still make with what you have left.'"
Sometimes, it is our task to find out how much music we can make with what we have left. What is the name that is big enough to hold your fearlessness, that is big enough to call you into fearlessness? That is big enough to break your heart? To allow you to open to the suffering that is this world right now and to not become immobilized by fear and to not become immobilized by comfort? What is the way in which you can hold your work so that you do feel free from hope.... and therefore free from fear?
Reprinted with permission from the author. Margaret Wheatley's new book is So Far From Home: Lost and Found in Our Brave New World, published by Berrett Koehler. She is the author of six other books and works globally as a speaker, teacher, and consultant. ________
2. I am grateful that I don’t feel worse today. I could feel much much worse
3. And that yesterday, I did yesterday’s job.
4. And I will make myself – or gentle myself into doing – do today’s job.
5. Grateful that my mother’s call woke me.
6. And for light-hearted tv.
7. And that I laughed aloud yesterday.
8. And will make sure to today: )
9. J’s help
10. A’s friendship
11. L’s friendship
12. Gary Null’s sharing (radio and books – I don’t know him)
13. M
14. My plan for this week. Dreaded, but necessary and I will do it.
15. That I am a INFP. All combinations are equally great. Truly. But this is mine and it is I and so I am grateful for it because I am it and I am comfortable with it.
16. That I am a noble heart. Do things best when for a noble cause. Again, the practical are as important and needed too. But this is who I am.
17. And it is important to accept myself: )
18. And that in some ways I do.
19. I had to find something last night, that I like about my physical body. I felt it is my skin. The look of it. The feel of it.
20. This________
21. That I don’t smoke. I used to
22. I am reading
23. and beginning to practice “The Digest Diet.
24. I am to find things about my body I appreciate. I know I have said some of them before. But I appreciate so many. Here are some: My skin. The jobs it does.
25. How it looks.
26. How it feels
27. My eyes that see for me
28. My ears that hear for me.
29. My mouth that speaks for me
30. And eats for me
31. And drinks for me
32. My esophagus
33. My vocal cords.
34. My heart that beats strongly for me.
35. My lungs that take in and disperse oxygen for me.
36. My blood that carries it for me.
37. My brain that directs all
38. My spine that is healthy connection to my brain
39. And strong
40. And straight
41. My back
42. **** (stars because supposed to like some things about looks too) My back which curves nicely in at small
43. My cells that rejuvenate
44. That I was born
45. My stomach that digests food for me to get nutruients
46. My intestines that help with the process of dispersion and elimination of toxins and unnecessary substances
47. My butt with the muscles that help me walk
48. And the cushion that helps me sit
49. And when I’m not fat it has a pretty shape
50. My breasts are beautiful
51. My thighs. Strong. Get me everywhere.
52. My calfs. Strong too
53. My feet. Hold me. Balance me. Walk for me
54. My toes. Helping with balance. *****and cute too: )
55. My upper arms. Used to be taut and toned. Now are fat. But still work for me
56. Including piano
57. My forearms
58. Strength in them and they’re pretty too *****
59. My hands. I am so grateful for my glorious hands.
60. They type
61. And play piano
62. And write
63. And print
64. And carry things
65. And cook
66. And hug
67. And caress
68. And touch the faces of loved ones
69. And comb my hair
70. And apply a bit of makeup (sometimes)
71. **** I have pretty eyes
72. deep brown
73. black eyelashes
74. expressive
75. and a nice smile*****people comment on it
76. straight teeth **** (thank you for the braces, Mom and Dad!)
77. they chew for me
78. and I have healthy gums
79. wrists that bend all the way (someone I know had accident and hers will never bend all the way again)
80. my trigger thumb got better
81. with two shots
82. and not surgery
83. and I could afford them
84. my elbows bend
85. as do my knees
86. my bones
87. my ability to absorb nutrients. I have a friend whose brother couldn’t. stayed the size of a 10 month old, unable to sit up by himself, til he died in his 30’s.
88. taste buds
89. sense of smell
90. my imagination
91. my memory
92. my problem solving abilities
93. my compassion
94. my empathy
95. my sensitivity
96. *****I have nice nails, fingers and toes
97. *****I have great hair. Always did
98. Circulation
99. My healthy liver
100. My healthy kidneys
101. My healthy cervic
102. My heathy vagina
103. My healthy labia
104. My healthy clitoris
105. My healthy rectum.
106. I have never had a dread disease.
Thankful me.
No comments:
Post a Comment