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CURATED CURIOSITIES
“They said it couldn’t be done—but that doesn’t always work.”
Yogi Berra has a way with words! Maybe that Yankees catcher’s mask just infused him with a zesty perception. I’m convinced the disruptive optics continue through generations. Case in point? My dad’s 7th grade ballers. They’re up 7 to 6 in the final inning. The opposition has runners on second and third base. Their top slugger is at the plate. My dad goes up to the mound to consult with Reese, the pitcher:
“DO NOT THROW HIM A STRIKE DOWN THE MIDDLE. I’m okay if you walk him. I’d rather four balls, than a run.”
“Okay Coach.” Enough said.
Reese winds up and throws the ball right at the batter. It hits him! Voila’. Only one pitch was needed! Problem solved. Why take four throws when it only takes one? It’s classic efficiency and effectiveness! A rare combo indeed! By the way, the team, who’d only won a couple regular season games went on to seize the championship! 🤩
“Underrated Advantage!”(Reese is left of Coach)
It’s the same kinda avant-garde Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto uses during warmup. With a javelin! His perception is that it loosens up his entire body and helps him leverage more than just his arm. https://www.wsj.com/sports/baseball/yoshinobu-yamamoto-dodgers-japan-javelin-f8818514
Author Malcolm Gladwell explains life as bit of a curve ball…or rather U curve. It relates to advantages and disadvantages. Extra benefits will only keep elevating a situation or individual to a certain point. Then it slumps the opposite direction. What once was a perk is now a drag. That’s the inverted U. And that’s an insight that keeps the world open for everyone.
“Uniquity in Process”
DO WHAT WORKS FOR YOU. I collect what I call triggers! Basically they’re just anything I find intriguing; articles, photos, words, stories, shows, fashion. This is my creative writing umami. I let the idea ferment in my synapses for just the right time! That’s my efficiency hack. The effective part is more nuanced. It requires soul.
THE BREAD OF EMPATHY BREAKS FOR ANOTHER.”
“DIGNITY NO MATTER WHAT.” That’s the mantra behind Kyiv architect Slava Balbek’s vision for “RE: Ukraine Housing.” He’s designed an upgraded home enclave for those displaced in the war. HE FEELS IT. Balbek spends one week a month on the front lines. He and his team started the project just two weeks after the bombing began. Now he’s developed a free online tool with sleek design options for rural housing restoration. Refugees can choose specific designs that fit their lifestyle. Balbek hopes this empowerment in dark times will inspire a brighter future.
“Architecturally Empathetic” Image: courtesy Balbek
Envisioning possibilities through rough times can flip the U. Mr. Kuroki of Japan attests to that. His wife recently went blind. Depression followed with a vengeance.
KUROKI WENT INTO ACTION!
He planted two thousand pink flowers for her! He knew if he could get her outside to smell their fragrance, she’d bounce back. The two have been married for 32 years.
“Love Wins”
Efficiency and Effectiveness? I’m convinced it’s a matter of proactive perception. What can I do now? How can I do it best? How can I leverage pressure into progress? What am I missing? And how can I enhance situations with empathy?
Explore your originality. Then use it! The human experience is that of mountains and valleys. But, as Todd Mullins once said, “Your valley’s not the finale!”
There’s no fixed, singular way if love is a driver. I believe we are all designed with access to the unparalleled advantage of Love. Paul talks about it in Galatians. “Let everyone be devoted to fulfill the work God has given them to do with excellence, and their joy will be in doing what’s right and being themselves, and not in being affirmed by others.” (TPT) Shine and flow! I’m for you! 💜
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