January 12, 2021
I’m not a dictionary freak but close to it. My writing instruments don’t come with spell check. It’s a hidden fear of what others will think of my words on paper. It’s already too far out there! I’ve always been fascinated with the way kids shape words. So often misspelled and yet I find it inspiring because their letter formations look better than what’s been labeled the right way. A good example. Receive vs Neighbor. Really? It should be knee-bur. A word that fell onto my writing page recently was unsheltered. I’m not sure why it found energy in my space other than it best describes a lot of what we’re going through. Unsheltered. I looked up the definition and was introduced to a different frame of thought. Homeless and unsheltered have a common connection but if you’re living out of a car, under a bridge or in a worn down building, it’s looked upon by decision makers as being sheltered homelessness. Unsheltered can also be your heart. Your ambition, drive and the way you think. It could be unsheltered. Making a simple choice can be a daytime nightmare. Uncertainty isn’t unsheltered. Just like homelessness they can have a connection but it’s two completely different experiences. The daily discipline is to be aware of what you’re personally defining as unsheltered. We should never allow our missions to be unsheltered. See the value of reason as being more than a description. Unsheltered means action and reaction. It invites unprotected change. You might be looking at the headlines thinking, “Oh Lord, where do we go from here?” The pandemic, politics, remote learning and office work, rent is due and so are the taxes. Don’t walk toward any answer unsheltered. While gently telling yourself, “Hey I’ve got this…” Do follow up shots. You know like Dennis Rodman of the Chicago Bulls getting rebounds. Ask, “How do I have this? How can we learn from this? Is this really what I want or am I taking up space in a pair of shoes?” Plant the seed. Awareness is always going to your four walls and a roof. Not unsheltered.