MIND-BODY-SPIRIT There and Back Again: The Power of a Quilted Life
BY CAROL BURBANK We stitch together quilts of meaning to keep us warm and safe, with whatever patches of beauty and utility we have on hand. ~ Anne Lamott When most of us are young, we imagine our lives like a portrait, naturally consistent, organically evolving, and yet ultimately predict- able. We see the path so clearly. We believe it’s not only possible but also inevitable. And then we take a leap of faith towards the future, WR¿QGDOLIHZHOOOLYHGLVPRUHOLNHDTXLOWWKDQWKHSUHWW\SLFWXUHZH thought we’d create. What a relief that our leap takes us into something larger and dif- IHUHQWIURPRXUFKLOGLVKYLVLRQ7KH¿UVWVWHSWRZDUGVXQGHUVWDQGLQJ the quilted, improvisational experience of being human is to choose GLVFRYHU\RYHUGLVDSSRLQWPHQW,IZHFDQDSSUHFLDWHWKHXQLTXHDQG VRPHWLPHVFUD]\GHVLJQWKDWHPHUJHVDVRXUTXLOWWDNHVIRUPWKHQZH get in touch with the tools of magic, synchronicity and creativity. Of course, it’s easier said than done, embracing discovery, when ev- erything we were taught makes us believe we organically become who we are and stay that way forever, expanding into our best selves — if ZH¶UHVXFFHVVIXOWKDWLV+RZHDV\LWLVWRIHHOOLNHDIDLOXUHZKHQWKDW P\WKRIOLQHDUVHOIDFWXDOL]DWLRQFROODSVHVDQGZHKDYHWR³FRPHRXW´ as a work in progress. %XWZKHQZHNQRZRXUOLYHVDVDQHYHUHYROYLQJTXLOWZLWKRXUIDLO - ures, successes, and explorations making new meaning in a web of stories and moments, we consciously craft a deeper understanding. When we see life as a quilt, we choose to live with gratitude and aware- ness, manifesting a life that celebrates everything we are, shaped from the wisdom of our many experiences.
Source: nathan-bang-unsplash
If Life is a Quilt, Then What Does It Mean to Live Authenti- cally? Our culture understands authenticity as consistency, which is really useful if you’re on an assembly line, trying to be a celebrity, or creating a brand as a politician or an entrepreneur. Consistency is great when \RXZDQWWRSURMHFWDVLQJOHVWRU\DQGVSHFL¿FSHUVRQD%XWOLIHLVQ¶W about branding, and consistency is rarely as authentic as we imagine. $UHQ¶W\RXPRUHWKDQ\RXUMRE"0RUHWKDQ\RXUUROHV"2IFRXUVH 2XUZRUNDQGPDQ\UROHVLQWKHZRUOGGHPDQGZHEHÀH[LEOHUHVLO - ient, and creative. A performance of self that works in one context will fail in another. continued on page 56
PATHWAYS—Winter 22—55
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