Tuesday’s blog was intended to give me a chance to repeat some of inventor Thomas Edison’s most quotable lines as worthy life philosophy even if he contradicted himself at times or didn’t always manage to live by that philosophy. I encourage you to look over those quotes and choose those suitable for your life.
But while we are talking about inventors, I also encourage you to re-invent the parts of yourself that are not serving you well. One of the best – and most affirming – bits of advice I have gotten in life came many years ago from a rather gruff and demanding member of the board of directors at a hospital where I was then working. I had made a decision to start my own company, and he said, “Good; we all need to re-pot ourselves now and then.”
In the years since I have made it my habit to check out my pot regularly:
• Is it large enough to allow me to grow? And am I growing in the direction I intend to?
• Are the soil and atmospheric conditions conducive to my well-being?
• Am I watered and nurtured regularly by family and friends?
• Do I have a clear view of the horizon I wish to see?
• Have I given myself some fallow time to rest and replenish myself?
If the answer to anything is no, I look around for a new pot, new windowsill, new soil, or a few plant vitamins.
That first question – growing in the direction I intend to – is meant to keep me defining/refining my values. Many unexpected changes have come into my life since my first repotting; where and how we’re asked to grow isn’t always under our control. (Manure may have nutrients, but that doesn’t make it welcome.)
How we react to those changes, is under our control, to a point. I don’t wither as easily as I once did, but when I am tired or stressed, I certainly don’t exhibit Thomas Edison’s ideal qualities of mercy, kindness and love either. And that’s okay. “Perfect” comes from the Latin word for “finished.” It doesn’t mean “flawless.” Each pot I move to has new imperfections, but I rather enjoy the image of being an occasional crackpot in a cracked pot.
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