I have a confession to make: I’m watching Andy Griffith re-runs during the stay-at-home orders. I find returning to my childhood entertainment and 30 minutes of simple times, and simple talk – is calming, and reflects the ordinary presently unfolding.
Two essential elements guide my work as a speaking coach:
- The call for self-expression through language, meaning and messages, and;
- The vital act of connection with others
These two elements can sound a bit lofty. When actually, they are quite ordinary, very human. Expression and connection are life-saving endeavors. We need them to live. We need them to fulfill our life.
As with other shifts we’ve made the past 6 weeks, self-expression and connection are showing up in all kinds of ways – both public and private.
At 7:00 pm. every night in NYC, in the spirit of connection and expression, hundreds of New Yorkers open their windows, stand on their roofs clapping, banging on pots and whistling. Without fail, I watch with a lump in my throat, tears in my eyes and hope in my heart. We are wired for this. We need each other.
On the personal side, if you walked into my kitchen, you’d see multiple magnetic words on the refrigerator. Russ and I are playing spontaneous poetry. We-rather-he, built a new garden bed for soon to be emerging color and beauty. Meals these days are a tasty delight. Wasabi is my new best friend. And the casserole is making a grand return to my weekly menu. Simply-ordinary.
Andy Griffith didn’t have magnetic refrigerator poetry, wasabi or zoom. But, what was evident in his world was the powerful expression of a neighborly wave, a generous smile, pie or pickle making-the vital components for a well-lived life. Notice, if you can, how the ordinary matters and better yet, how it makes a difference in who we touch and how we say, “I’m here”.