Spirituality

Archive for the ‘Spirituality’ Category

I spent a hefty chunk of my savings on presents this last Christmas, and I don’t regret a minute of it. I was planning on building my savings back up this year, but I think the folks in Haiti (and other poverty-stricken areas in the world) can use that money a lot more.

So do it! Give a dollar, twenty, or a hundred. For the next month and a half, I’ll give whatever you do. Click the link and give.

UPDATE (1/16/10 12:06pm): The generosity that I’ve seen is astounding. People have donated in lieu of going out for dinner. Folks who have been jobless for months have scraped together a donation. Friends who have already given have found a way to give again. I mean, for goodness sake, my Mom handed me her grocery money!

So, yeah, I’ve pretty much spent the last few days crying off and on, both in mourning for what the people of Haiti have faced and yet to face, but also in rapture and celebration of the generosity that you’ve all shown. I didn’t expect that we would raise this much, this fast. But when you trust your heart, amazing things happen, as you all have shown me.

Please continue to spread the word.

Thank you, all. So very, very much.

Posted by Cliff on January 14th, 2010

Only human

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I think a lot about what it means to be human. Not about what makes us different from other animals, necessarily, but about what characteristics can be found in all of us. And I reflect on the language that we use to describe the “human condition.” In fact, we say “human condition” almost as though we’re describing some sexually transmitted disease (which, in a way, we are!).

When we make mistakes, fail, or fall short of others’ expectations of us, we say that we’re “only human.” The literal message of those two words is this: “There are limits to what human beings can do, and and I have just reached that limit.” In effect, what we’re saying is that what is being asked of us is impossible.

But that is rarely the case.

When do we really pull out that phrase? Not when we’re face to face with the impossible, but when we’re face to face with the uncomfortable.

When arguing with a loved one. When being asked to do more than we’ve done in the past. When being asked to push harder, reach deeper, and sacrifice more than we have before. When we are pushed to the limits of our comfort, not the limits of our ability.

And yet, only when we are pushed past comfort to the true limits of our ability, do we see what we’re capable of.

So, as I continue to share my experiences on this blog, I’m going to push past my comfort zones. I’m going to share the hard-earned gems of wisdom that I’ve gained through years of struggle, staggering defeat, and occasional triumph. You may laugh, cry, wince, or even judge me, and that is fine. I won’t let fear stop me from allowing others to learn from my experiences. I hope you read something here that will help you, as I endeavor to share everything that makes me gloriously human.

Posted by Cliff on November 21st, 2009

Thoughts on Anger

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I’ve shared my thoughts on anger with friends and family members, and folks have asked me to write them down–so here you go. It can all be summed up into a single aphorism:

We get angry when we see someone violating values that we hold dear.

I value things like hard work, consideration, kindness, a clean and simple space, honesty, responsibility, and self-discipline. When I see people violating these values, I get angry. It took examining my anger over a long period of time to come to this realization.

In fact, I have used my anger as a trigger point to help me be aware of what I truly value in life. When I see someone being inconsiderate of a friend’s feelings, I get angry at them. When I see myself slipping on my responsiblities, I get angry with myself. When I see libraries offer bad service to users because we’re lazy, it makes me furious. But that’s because consideration, responsiblity and hard work are my values.

Sometimes it is inappropriate for me to force my values on someone else (I won’t tell someone else to clean their house before I visit, for example). Sometimes values conflict with each other and must be carefully balanced (sometimes you can’t deliver both fast and in-depth service to a Reference Services user!). Sometimes you have to discuss your values with friends/family/coworkers to iron out anger and conflict. Sometimes you have to recognize that your values are yours, and then you can let small, trivial anger go.

Look at what makes you angry. What are your values? What are your institution’s values? How can you use your anger as a driving force for growth?

Posted by Cliff on November 5th, 2008

On my way to CIL2008

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My bad luck in commercial flights appears to be congenital, because one flight was cancelled and another delayed. Luckily, I’ll be able to make the whole conference this time (unlike IL2006). But I think this journey will be quite interesting for other reasons as well.

First, I’m going to be teaching Sunday School tomorrow. I’ll be staying in DC with my friend Sarah. The Sunday School class that she teaches (with her masterful M.Div. degree) is doing a series on world religions. When she first asked me if I’d be willing to teach about Paganism, I had that knee-jerk reaction:

“Are you guys learning how to convert Pagans?”

“C’mon Cliff, it’s me. Hello.”

“I know, I know, just checking…”

Given Sarah’s strongly liberal religious leanings (she and I agree on most metaphysical concepts), I know that I have nothing to fear. So I plan on going in and sharing some of the basics of Paganism, the major branches, and the few unifying themes of the Pagan religions (taken from a well-timed episode of the Deo’s Shadow podcast). From Sarah’s description, I have nothing to fear and lots to look forward to. I’ll promise not to hex them if they promise not to stone me.

After that I’ll be spending Monday – Wednesday at CIL2008! I’m looking forward to seeing some old friends, meeting some new friends for the first time, and meeting in person folks that I’ve been trading blog posts with for a while (here’s hoping I don’t go all geeky fanboy on that last group!). Thursday through Sunday will be time spent with Sarah, Jason and their St. Bernard dog Bruno, as well as visits with friends who live in the DC area.

Posted by Cliff on April 5th, 2008

Dance Meditation Review

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So I mentioned before that I went to a Dance Meditation winter retreat/monastery/movement workshop. It was a week long, and held at the Margaret Austin Center outside of Chappel Hill, Texas.

I started my journey by traveling to New Orleans, to split up the trip at my friend Kryss’ house. I must say, that I was both shocked by the detestation that New Orleans is still in, and heartened by how much people are working to get things back to normal. Kryss’ apartment is functional, but the houses on both sides of her were still under reconstruction. However, the French Quarter was business-as-usual for the most part, so we did a little shopping while we were there. The city is mostly in desperate need of tourism, so if you get a chance, go to New Orleans soon, while they need it most. I know folks are talking about going to NOLA when things are “back to normal,” but they won’t get that way if folks don’t go back now. (end preaching)
We swung by Baton Rouge to pick up Shamsi, another bellydance instructor and member of our little chosen family, and then headed off to Texas.
Each day started off in silence, with a simple breakfast of oatmeal. The morning session lasted for four hours, and consisted of several exercises (with short nap times in between!). Lunch was another simple vegan meal, with evening session a few hours later (for three hours) and then dinner. It was an easy routine, with quiet in the mornings, socializing in the afternoons & evenings. There was plenty of free time, and I took full advantage of all the opportunities for napping.

Honestly, the first few days I had trouble quieting down, and at one or two points I thought to myself, “Gah! I’m surrounded by hippies! I need a computer! Let me go caress my jump drive!” But on day three I finally settled down and relaxed. A couple of times I got into really deep states of meditation while I was moving, which was awesome. I also had the opportunity to meet some amazing people, with wonderful life stories.I took some photos and video, most of which were done the last day (once I knew folks weren’t going to think I was some creepy voyeur with a camera at a dance workshop).I will be going to New Orleans again to do another Dance Meditation workshop in April. I hope to see a lot of my new friends from this time, and to meet some new friends as well!

Posted by Cliff on January 10th, 2007