Things of Beauty #35
Meaningful words, travel photos, & British squirrels
This week's list of lovely things is coming to you from the UK. I'm on a ten-day trip that started with a wonderful visit with friends in Birmingham and will end with a wedding in the Cotswolds. In between, we're doing a bit of exploring around Bristol—which so far, seems like a very cool city (the sun even made a little appearance yesterday).
Sharing a few travel photos and some readings that have felt really meaningful to me recently.
Beautiful things of late:
📘 I really, really appreciated this recent piece from
about our tendency to "other" people and things we don't agree with and how we might go about calling that behavior into question in support of developing deeper empathy. This may lead to conflict, but perhaps that actually isn't something we should be so concerned about avoiding:Conflict is about the inevitable disagreements and fights of living alongside, through recognizing the awkward truth that I am you, over and over.
Conflict knows that a people or idea can’t disappear; they will always reappear in a different form, unless we transform together.
Conflict is inevitable when we live alongside each other, and it’s a dynamic rich in possibility. Conflict can be redemptive, reduce suffering, create greater intimacy. But it’s harder than war because it means working through differences.
📷 A few favorites from the beginning of the UK trip:
(top row, L-R: two friends trying unsuccessfully to take a serious photo, finally got to meet this little guy IRL, grounds at Compton Verney // bottom row, L-R: grumpy cat folk art, view from the chapel - both also at Compton Verney, very impressive homegrown pumpkin harvest)
📗 I was just commenting that I feel like airports are full of observations about humanity. It's the faith-restoring ones like these in Gate-A4 by Naomi Shihab Nye that are my very favorite.
📙 This post from Sara Bareilles expresses a lot of what I've had trouble finding the words for of late: "I believe in peace and the pursuit of it. For all beings. I hope you find the courage to use the subtle sermon of your pores to lift humanity up." (please do click through to read the whole post)
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