The Coolest Summer Ever (04/04/2021)
This Sunday's journeys: The Coolest Summer Ever | Steven Spielberg’s Advice | Creation Myths of the World | Where Love Lives
High Five! It’s Sunday.
Grab a warm drink, turn on the speaker, and settle in, we’re going on a stroll.
🔊 Zone In: Carrie Morrison's SLAVE TO L♡VE
01 - The Coolest Summer Ever
The clock is ticking. In less than 2 months, it will be time to leave Texas and move on to our next adventure. The problem is, we don't have the faintest idea what this adventure will be.
Or at least, we didn't - until last week.
A month ago, Bryan had a call with an old friend who runs a guest house during the summer in a beautiful beach town back north. His friend told him he wants to do more there this summer: offer workshops, classes, and other events for the local community. Bryan told me about his ideas, and we were talking about how cool it all sounded.
Last week, Bryan's friend asked us if we'd like to run the guesthouse and the events there this summer. How cool! This came out of nowhere, and in many ways, it couldn't be more perfect: the schedules line up, we love it out there, and one of my dreams is actually to own/run a place like that myself, so this would be a great experience.
But something has been holding me back from jumping on it and saying yes. Last week I mentioned my social anxieties, and the thought of becoming the face of one of the main social spaces of this small town is terrifying to me. At some point (specifically, in my first year in junior high), I started telling myself that I'm not cool enough to be part of the "cool kids" group (whatever that means...). I've been gathering evidence to support this narrative since (and I've been doing really well at it, mind you). This has become my "golden shadow".
When we think about our "shadow aspects", we tend to think about traits and qualities that we consider negative: being controlling, sloppy, immature, insecure, etc. We reject these qualities, but they keep showing up in our lives and sucking our energies. Surprisingly though, we also reject qualities that we think greatly of: creativity, success, strength, confidence, playfulness, etc. We surround ourselves with images and people that embody these qualities, and we stride the line between admiring and resenting them. If we dig deep inside, we know we'll be able to find these qualities in us.
"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure"1. The truth is, we're afraid of letting go of the stories that make up who we are today, the stories we've been telling ourselves for so long. We're afraid to take risks, to try and live out a different narrative. So instead, we keep making choices that feel "safe", but all they do is solidify our old stories, the stories that keep holding us back from living a full life.
I'm tired of my junior high story. Looking back even at the past couple of years, I can see how much energy I've spent finding evidence for this story, missing the opportunity to focus on people, places, and experiences that had a big "COOL" sign blinking over them. Like this chance to spend a summer on the beach, doing the things I’ve always been dreaming about. So I’m going to say YES.
This summer is going to be the coolest summer ever 😎✌️
Until next week,
- Disco
—-
This coming Saturday (April 10) I’m offering The Unconscious Shadow Workshop: we’ll talk dark and golden shadows, how to identify them, and what we can do instead of constantly fighting them.
02 - Steven Spielberg’s Advice
“…the hardest thing to listen to - your instincts, your human personal intuition - always whispers, it never shouts, it’s very hard to hear. So you have to every day of your life be ready to hear what whispers in your ear…”
We tend to think that our life dreams and goals will present themselves to us in some miraculous form, but often these messages tend to show up as soft, random whispers - we just need to train ourselves in listening.
03 - Creation Myths of the World
As part of a writing project I’m working on, I’ve been reading a lot of material about myths as a lens for self-knowledge and personal development. Is there a myth you identify with? There is an endless number of mythologies, originating in every culture and ancestry, and covering the whole breadth of the human experience. Creations myths are one of the more common categories and this encyclopedia covers many of them. Choose one randomly to start with, and see where it takes you… 🧙♀️
04 - Where Love Lives
God, I miss dancing out in a club. I’ve discovered the magic of the dancefloor a few years ago in my trip to Berlin, and was lucky to keep experiencing it back in NYC. It’s so easy to dismiss this experience as shallow/hedonistic/etc, and while it absolutely can be (like every other leisure activity), this movie captures some of the more nuanced and empowering aspects of this experience. I can’t wait to go out dancing again, hopefully soon.
🌳 That's all for today.
quote from “A Return to Love” by Marianne Williamson
Completely agree on the challenges of the digital nomad life. Excited for your summer. I’m leaving my current location soon too, excited for your summer on Fire Island! 👍🏻🙏enjoy every minute!!
I’m so glad to receive this every Sunday. I’m excited for your new adventure!