Category: Weekly state (Page 30 of 33)

The climb seemed to be endless. How was it possible for any of his ancestors to climb this green monster? For years he heard stories. Of the beautiful end of this journey, of longing and loving. Of finally understanding what it is all about. Maybe it would enlighten him, maybe he would take some wisdom back to his friends, family, his partner.

But is all this struggle really worth it? Endlessly marching on, 90 degrees towards the sky? Holding onto this small stem, with all his powers. Is there no better way to spend his youth? He is in the prime shape of life, the best it will ever be. And where is he? Stuck with marching onwards. There is no one telling him to keep marching but the promises of what might happen if he will.

There is a plain coming toward him. He can see it more clearly now. Is this the end of his journey?

With the last power in his 6 legs, he continues to hang onto the stem. the plain gives up a bit under his weight. He is now hanging upside-down, watching the abyss beneath him. He could give up. He could just let himself drop down. For sure, his wings would work. They always did, always ready to be deployed.

He looks up further. It is time to finally find out, what he has been promised.

He climbs the edge of the plain, getting onto it. The sunlight hits his face. He is blinded, unconscious of what is happening. But it is warm, comforting. As soon as he is able to look further, he can see. Other bugs, sitting on leaves. Enjoying the sun, enjoying the the first warmth and the rest from their journey. He can feel that it has been worth it, the way up seems to be effortless now. Even going down; it’s just a fall.

The sunlight hits my eyes and I put on my glasses.

Roaming through the streets with the sun ahead of me and dark clouds in the back I cannot help but feel advantaged. Is it already the time of walking downhill with the wind lifting your every step? Am I already picked up and safely carried to bed when I am too tired to go there myself? Am I watching a fascinating documentary while someone prepares dinner? I feel reluctant to say so but I just might.

Now, you can interpret this weekly review as you wish. Let incoming spring be the reason, or just a gut feeling. But it is with great pleasure to inform you that I am on the receiving end.

Sunday has already passed on and as a keen reader, you might see some dynamics establishing here. There tends to be a spicyness in the written text when the environment is more adverse. It makes sense, spicyness, in the end, is just a mild form of suffering. But it is suffering that results in an increased intensity of the experience. So, as I am currently on the Lassi scale of spicyness and you might be not, why don´t we reach an agreement on this? Maybe I have found you in a spicy environment, maybe you are advantaged as well and the sun is also caressing your face. But let me emphasise that each individual site has its advantages. Right now, I am lazy. My momentum is slowed by increase in comfort. Senses are a bit dull.

So when my life is becoming more spicy, let´s just focus on the output it has. Meaning, I will write to you more often.

It is a Lassi week. Sorry for being late.

For a while now I have shaken and stirred, thrown around and burnt the wok. Some patina is building up and I feel the wooden handle becoming part of my body.

As I float here, thinking of the dish I deliver to you this week, oh almighty void, I am hesitant to pick up the sauces I usually use. Do not worry, I will elaborate.

I have recently taken up a new endeavour, one where partnership and communication happens far away from words and text. Outside of the comfort zone of this tiny island in the cyberspace. And within this new adventure, I have found a dangerous dichotomy: having to lead when there is no experience at all on how to lead. And then it dawned on me! This is where vulnerability shows strength and arrogance, as well as false confidence, are immediately uncovered, kicking you in the back.

So if we start thinking….

Let me back up, I thought about this already now. So, instead, YOU think about when you were faced with the responsibility of leading without understanding. Tip-toeing your way around. Think about a situation where you expected someone to lead, knowing that they might be lost.

What I have found, is that a nonchalant way of accepting and indulging in mistakes is the way forward. So when I see someone trying to cook a dish in a wok, with the flame bursting, hot oil sizzling and my endless library of sauces facing them, I will step back, put a hand on their shoulder, smile and let them lead. Will we get burnt? Maybe. Will it be too spicy? Let’s see! Will it taste mediocre at best? Probably.

So what I am trying to say is: when we are facing a dish that requires a lead, make mistakes. And if you are not leading, let mistakes happen. The best way is to smile about them. Maybe sprinkle a little sesame seed on top, you will be surprised how good this will look even when the overall dish hasn’t reached perfection.

And always remember: I’ll be here with my spices and a smile so we can save that dish together.

History favours the bold, not the stupid.

Within the next 17 minutes, to be exact, another week will be completed. A lifecycle we cannot escape. However, we keep turning. As long as the air enters and leaves us, we are bound to finish the week. So here I am, trying to me it work. Being tentative.

This week is all about trying. What’s your connotation of trying? When you hear the word, what happens in your mind? Do you see something failing or succeeding? Do you see hard or easy labour? It is actually stupid of me to ask, everyone is defining comfort and hardship differently. For some, a doctors appointment is a hard thing to do. Maybe it is hard to remember that your Papa Shanghai has prepared another dish for you, hot from the stall of spicy thoughts. But don’t you worry, I’ll be here.

To reach a cycle of full completion is never really necessary, don’t you think? We are bound to keep going. Not necessarily with that same task or assignment, but with everything else. Air keeps flowing, the thoughts keep rambling and I keep on serving those dishes. Maybe we can find inner calm within this thought. Perhaps it’s time to change “trying”. Let’s be tentative, we are not complete. And let me say this, writing, it’s being tentative. Doing your job is tentative. We are trying, we are probing. Maybe, in the end, trying to make a sense of it all.

The only thing important is how we go on about this trying, tentative behaviour. Are we experimenting, discovering, uncovering, probing, researching our next moves, our next seconds? Or are we intimated by what my come around the corner.

The air keeps flowing, make the best of it. Turn tentative and trying around, for your sake.

And while I finish this, I wanted to check for my dearest customers. I know who you are, kind of. I see you coming by my stall every week. And let me just say, I value you and cherish your attention to my tiny space in the food stall of ideas which is the internet. So for all of you, I have prepared something special. It’s still in the works but I would like to reward you with the most spicy of dishes. Short stories, the hotpot of Papa Shanghai’s mind. So I’ll create a special section for all of you. So reach out to me, if you feel addressed. I will forward you the secret phrase for this very special tiny VIP menu.

Take care of yourselves out there. Papa