Hope & Resistance

Last week I jotted down the two words (see above) as an idea for this post. I had some grand idea to inspire anyone–everyone–to start the process of making a change that you know you must to help your physical or emotional health. Be open, stay calm, do it for real.

Then I hit a brick wall, a head-on writing paralysis blockage. Too weighty, too many decisions, too many possible directions, overwhelming nuance. Too many pitfalls. And why do I want to be so preachy anyway?

What a mess.

The slow demise of the once Forster Mill ended with a city businessman who grabbed and sold what he could, then walked away. Leaving it fire damaged and with the asbestos gaping. Bankruptcy was a useful and legal tool.

The mindset of greed–take as much as you can and walk-away–let someone else clean up your poop–is perhaps one of the most unattractive parts of ourselves.

There are many elements to decay and decline. The seasons pile up. We are adaptable creatures and acclimate quickly to everything, including chaos and ugliness.

When we are faced with the sad state of acclimation, it’s time for a bigger, refreshed vision.

Vision is a form of hope. It’s the secret sauce for taking action. Revisit the problem and look at it in as many different lights as you can bear. The space between vision and problem is where the action is.

Sparks live there.

We are at our most attractive when we focus to build, to fix, to make something better.

Be sure to take breaks along the way and pair pleasant things with those unpleasant things that cannot be avoided. Find your people to help. Reset. Do a step each day. I’m channeling James Clear here, discovering his simple and brilliant genius.

Clearing the deck is required but to build, it’s not goals or will power. It is all about the system that you put in place.

The tiny town did take down this giant relic, eyesore, and stinky industrial ruin. In 2018 demolition was completed. Neighbors across the street can hear the river again, though a large concrete structure still exists that covers part of the stream.

This story is still in process (as it seems we all are). We are at the secret-sauce juncture again. What will become of this lot? How big and beautiful can our sight get in spite of a bunch of very real problems?

Let’s get concrete: imagine that you are a person who can actually, for real, adjust your course and address a situation that’s been pestering you. You can start right now. Get help, get involved. Keep learning. That is it.

Unblock your hope then it’s easier to move.