String Theory - Repost
Jeremy Anderson
Marine Dealer and OEM Consultant | I use my love for the boating industry to help dealers maximize their profit from an outside perspective for those too busy working IN the business to work ON their business
I often catch myself being too negative when overall I try to be the positive voice in our company, our community, and my family.
Today I'm sharing an article from Dr Laura Nelson, Superintendent at School of the Osage (where my kids attend and my wife is on the school board) who writes weekly on Substack here: https://substack.com/@lnelsonleadership - Jeremy
Reposted from Dr Laura Nelson on Substack:
Here we are- last full day of the regular 2023-2024 school year. Over the course of keeping the commitments identified back in August, it has become clear we have two options: we can hold?the golden thread?or we can hold?the grimy rope.
School of the Osage Class of 2024…golden thread and grimy rope style.
The golden thread is unbreakable, luminous, and eternal, but its lightness requires intentional effort to keep within our grasp. The grimy rope, on the other hand, is easier to grip, as dingy as the day is long, and well-suited for tug of war. When holding the golden thread, one is infused with light that positively impacts both oneself and others. In contrast, holding the grimy rope leads to the opposite—and it's not good. The golden thread serves as an excellent guide through the jungles, mountains, and roads of life. Hold onto it, and no matter the storm, the sludge, the bramble, or the detours, one will indeed be led, as if by better angels, through and forward. The grimy rope only leads to a cul-de-sac; even if the first couple of passes through it are interesting (and often they are not), continually circling a circle is eternally miserable- an H.E. double toothpicks of our own making. Given this, it's puzzling why on occasion I evidently feel compelled to drop the thread and grab the rope. It's foolish on multiple levels, particularly since the reality is that we, or at least I, cannot hold both simultaneously. We each must choose.
This school year provided me with ample opportunities to observe string theory in practice. There were times when I argued instead of listening, wasted time scrolling instead of writing, got sucked into a vortex of emotion, and focused on myself instead of connecting with others. The list could go on, illustrating moments when I willfully carried around a slimy, dirty rope that could only cause dull and dingy energy to emanate forth. However, thanks to a few commitments I made this year, and because of the ways that I was inspired time and time again?by so many of you (and the graceful light that radiated out of you even during really difficult moments) more times than not, I was compelled to keep trying to drop that ridiculous rope and pick up the beloved thread. Intentionally sticking to commitments, underscored by the natural consequences of that string to which we cling, makes it much more doable. In the end it seems to be one of life’s rarities: it is easier done than said.?
The light that comes from the golden thread extends elsewhere- beyond ourselves. Commitments help anchor the reality that "elsewhere" matters far more than we realize. Light or Grime.?It’s true.?What we choose to hold onto reverberates through us and radiates out of us, like caffeine—but with a more cosmic, enduring, and powerful effect. Thank you for all the golden threads of the 2023-2024 Year of Commitment. It is my prayer that you, too, find yourself on this side of the calendar full of light and ready for a remarkable summer.?
Yours in Faith, Hope, and Love for All Things Osage. LN
-Reposted from Dr Laura Nelson on Substack - to follow Laura click this link: