 My Mt. Everest is a metaphor for including in your life fun, recreational activities that challenge your fear and strengthen your courage. It's a sure way to develop your "courage muscle." First, Your Mt. Everest. Then, the world.
Newsletters: 2009 2008 2007 September 2006 December
Amelia Earhart (1897 -
1937)
Dear
MyMtEveresters, Writing this e-letter is
My Mt Everest My Mt Everest is about my
intentionally putting myself into situations (not
necessarily physical situations) that challenge me.
Based on the theory that meeting challenges take
courage. And courage is something that strengthens
with use, like exercising a muscle - your 'courage
muscle.' But writing this monthly e-letter is not
to explain each different self-challenge, though
sometimes I do. The very act of writing this
e-letter is a 'Mt Everest' to me. Dragging the Thoughts
out of my Brain The effort that it takes to
drag the thoughts out of my brain in a vaguely
coherent flow is sometimes excruciating. I must be
hyperbolizing; it can't be that bad. It does truly
take enormous effort and energy. Sometimes I feel like a
moron because I keep just missing a coherent
thought. Then I comfort myself knowing that
Einstein thought he was slow because his thoughts
percolated beneath the surface for longer than he
would have liked before taking clear form.
E=mc2 A Place for
Language Language is all about
tagging things so that we can share thoughts and
observations with others. Did you see that blue
bird? Is the large coyote scary? How could we talk
to each other without words, without language? So
much of my time is spent talking to people,
e-mailing people, buying from people, learning from
people - all with language. Yet some of the most
precious, personal parts of my day don't involve
language. It's more a state of being. Have you ever
walked out of your house or office into the warm,
comfortable sunlight - the trees are green, you
hear birds, the sunlight bounces off the windows
and the windshields. While the stimulus may be
visual/auditory, for me, there is an experience of
that moment that is beyond or before or beneath the
visual and the auditory. It is like a sensation of
the experience. It may be only a moment, a happy?
comfortable? ??? moment. Then I'm back to my life -
buying milk for breakfast, or whatever. It's such an important part
of my life and yet I can't express it -
exactly. This is a very challenging
topic, but I persist because I know that I'm not
the only one that has these experiences. They are
actually beautiful experiences. "the place before my
voice is heard." There is a prayer that we
sing in my synagogue, Beth Shir Sholom. Rabbi Neil
Comess-Daniels added lyrics (and music) to Psalm
51:15 . It doesn't exactly allude to my experience,
but it acknowledges the existence of "… the
place before my voice is heard." May my lips come quietly
apart There's a gentle, flowing
stream within So often these refrains
bring tears to my eyes, or almost. Why would it
make me cry?? I'm so grateful that this is an
experience that others share with me. Entrainment There are other
sensory/kinesthetic experiences. For instance,
there is the energy between two people
(positive/negative, strained/relaxed, open/closed).
When the energy is good it can be like 'unauditory'
music that happens between the two of you. This
energy may surround the words spoken, but it is
separate from the words. There's a name for it:
entrainment. "This entrainment also takes place
when two people have a good conversation. Their
brain waves oscillate synchronously." Jonathan S.
Goldman (Sonic Entrainment; Music, Physician for
Times to Come) Having this conversation is
immensely enjoyable. Per my fabulous voice
teacher, William Hanrahan, www.vocalintegration.com,
It is a rhythmic phenomenon that even shows up as
expressions in our language, such as, "Let's get in
sync about this." or, "Let's make sure we're all
headed the same direction." Entrainment explains the
experience of listening to music, which can create
a physical sensation. I don't know if I would say
that the music creates the reaction or the listener
opens him/herself to this level of experience. I
just love that it has a word. "Entrainment is an
aspect of sound that is closely related to rhythms
and the way these rhythms affect us. Jonathan S.
Goldman (Sonic Entrainment; Music, Physician for
Times to Come). When music enters us like in
this way it commands your attention, almost
spell-bound. How to Create that State
of Being Nathan (hubby) talks about
that connection when he does his artwork. It's such
a pure connection that nothing is in between him
and his art. Meditation, I think, is
meant to bring us to that experience by intention,
not just by happenstance. I am in a constant state of
wonder. You know how little kids extend their arms
and spin around in circles - sometimes fast and
sometimes slow depending on how fast they want to
get dizzy. That's how I feel metaphorically
speaking when I stop long enough to
notice. Well, I got to the end of
my e-letter - and only two weeks late. My friend
suggested that I'm not late; I'm nonlinear. (That
makes me laugh.) For all the struggle, it is always
such a joy when I'm finished. And then I get scared
before I send it - not enough to stop
me. The other joy is hearing
from you and discussing with you. So e-mail me your
comments and questions if you wish. Merle About Merle M. Singer: |