Things I saw this week

Sunday morning, the day I write this blog post, is quickly becoming my favorite and most creative time of the week. However, this Sunday morning, I feel unprepared to write anything compelling.

However, I have read, seen, and heard a few interesting things this week, and that is what I want to share this morning.

Ikagi

I read Rob Bell's book, How To Be Here this week. (Now, I know some of you think Rob Bell is a heretic and, by association, as a reader of his heresy, I'll be in hell with Bell when we die. But the truth is, there is no hell. Ha!) Bell describes Ikagi as a Japanese term describing that thing that gets you out of bed in the morning.

"Your ikigai is that sense you have when you wake up that this day matters, that there are new experiences to be had, that you have work to do, a contribution to make,"

I was moved by Bell's description of this idea. I considered getting the word tattooed in a place on my body I know I would see every morning as a daily reminder to identify it and an encouragement to go for it.

"Cute Mormon Nurses"

As I see it on the screen, this phrase is less interesting than when the storyteller on the Risk podcast used it. His story didn't need the audience to know anything about his medical care. Nor did the story necessarily require that we know where in the world his particular hospital bed was located. But his description, which could have easily been missed if you weren't paying close attention to the words and their meaning, made the audience believe that it is understood that every nurse in Utah is both cute and Mormon.

I love this about good storytelling. The smallest, and sometimes unnecessary details can tie a story together in a way that asks the audience to lean in a little closer.

Encounters

I've had several chance meetings with co-workers from Ridge Point recently. I saw Mick at a coffee shop in Zeeland; chatted with Joanna; blogged about Bob; and ran into Kevin Pike at the gym. I also chatted with an old high school friend recently.

The LMB staff went out for happy hour before going to an environmental awards dinner. We work hard together, so it is great when we can get out and not work together.

I had the chance to meet a few new people this week: several cyclists at the Iceman Cometh registration event in Kalamazoo, an art gallery manager, and a candidate for Lansing City Council. I love meeting new people and hearing new stories.

A lot happened around me during the last 168 hours. But, to be honest, I missed most of it. It happened...I just didn't see it, or pay attention to it, or failed to see the significance of it. At the same time, some of it had great impact on me (I almost got a tattoo) and the person I'd like to become.

I'll never catch it all. There's just too much. And a guy has to sleep.

But I do want to catch more of it. I want to hear more stories with beautiful new words.

And more importantly, since we all share the same 168 hours, I want be a compelling source of new stories and new ideas for new people. We all have same amount of time and the possibility to have a positive impact on the people who wander into our life-sphere during the next week.... Let's do that.

___________________

• What happened to you this week?

• Who/what had an impact on you?

• Who/what did you have an impact on?