Inside the Chrysalis is Moving!

Inside the Chrysalis is moving. I'm consolidating two blogs into one! Visit me at http://speckleofdirt.blogspot.com/!

Intelligence: Overrated?

I'm currently reading a couple of books with chapters on Intelligence. The first book I picked up a couple of weeks ago and is titled What the Dog Saw by Malcolm Gladwell. After reading his popular book Tipping Point, I thought I'd go ahead and pick this one up. The second book is titled Nurtureshock: New Thinking About Children by Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman.

Intelligence is one of those things that can be uncomfortable to talk about in a crowd. I'm sure we've all run into those people who love to boast about their intelligence, much like some people like to boast about money or beauty or possessions. Rarely do you hear someone exclaiming their "average-Joeness" around the dinner table. But it's something we all think about. We want to be intelligent in our jobs. We want our kids to be intelligent at school and love when the teacher says "your child is so smart." But what does it really mean? Here is what I think about it.

Remember Enron? Enron recruited the best of the best, 250 MBA's each year and boasted about how much talent these people had and how smart they were. The problem was the company allowed these young "talents" to run wild with their new ideas. We all know what happened in the end. There was no structure within the organization. It isn't the "talent" that makes the organization smart, it's the structure, processes and systems that allow the "talent" to become successful.

Of course I always translate what I'm reading into my own life. So this lesson of organization and structure spoke to me. If I can put successful strategies in place and create an environment where each member of my family is working toward the success of the family as a whole, we can achieve success within that system...whatever we deem success to be. That was lesson #1 for me.

IQ testing was another chapter I read. I think these tests are fun and funny. It's interesting that these tests are not made up of difficult math problems or structural essays, but instead of perception, patterns and the like. If you click on the title of this post you will be directed to MENSA, an organization created for the top 2% of highly intelligent people in the population. It is a fun test, and if you really want to get serious you can take the official membership test and be granted admission to this elite group.

But I ask myself, "why?" Why take an intelligence test? It doesn't determine success or wealth. Members of MENSA range from Millionaires to Welfares (yes, people on welfare). Early IQ tests administered to children do not indicate future success. So many factors go into becoming a well-rounded adult who goes through life with humility, kindness and servanthood. One of those things is Emotional Intelligence.

Do you remember the book written in 1995 by Daniel Goleman about Emotional Intelligence? I read it along with other co-workers back then. It was an interesting read and the concept was adopted by many companies as part of their hiring objectives.

So what to do with all this? Well, I learned a long time ago that you can compare yourself to someone you perceive to be better than you at some attribute (intelligence in this case.) And the opposite is true as well. We can compare ourselves downward and gain an awareness that we are better at some attribute than someone else. Either way it is a negative state of mind that leads to insecurity when I compare myself up, and pride when I compare myself down. Enough with that, I say! Don't compare!

And so often, God puts things in perfect perspective when I seem to hone in on things I shouldn't. With all this IQ stuff rolling around in my mind these past couple of weeks, I was reminded that Jesus called average Joe's to His team! Tax collectors and fisherman. He can even use a stay-at-home-mom in her average-Joeness to focus on what is most important! And it's not IQ, athleticism, finances, beauty or anything else. It's loving Him and loving others. What a relief!

Inspiration in a Pile o' Dirt

I was at Ravenna Gardens the other day marveling at the garden decor and beautiful green foliage. I almost hesitated to walk in knowing how inspired and excited I can get about spring, yet it's so far away and I don't want to miss the pleasures of winter...hot soup, flickering candles, fuzzy socks...but, alas, I walked inside.

Walking past this display of seed packets I couldn't help but take a snapshot of the seeds organized in their little rows. My imagination conjures up bright sun, blue sky and all that these tiny seeds will become...parsley, lavendar, rosemary, thyme, lettuce...oh the joys of gardening!

There is a very large dirt pile in my backyard and I can't wait to hear the sound of a garden shovel as it pummels into the side of it. I can smell the earthy odor and see the moist, crumbling soil trickling down upon my shovel. I can feel the grit underneath my fingernails and see my soil stained fingers. I can feel the sun beating down on my shoulders and the slightly damp grass soaking through to my knees as I bend down to plant a tiny seed.

For now though, it's soup and candles and I will have to cling to that for another few months...but the dirt is calling...I may have to bring some inside?? Indoor tulips, hyacinth and daffodils...yes!

Guilty Pleasures

Just when New Year's Resolutions are in full swing, I decided to give in to a guilty pleasure...food. As I sat waiting for my Beet salad (roasted beets, orange segments, frisee and citrus vinaigrette) and Sweet Potatoe Fries at Trellis Restaurant in Kirkland, I couldn't help feeling guilty even though I don't make New Year's Resolutions.

I thought of how my having lunch at Trellis included a few popular resolutions all in one act: saving money, eating only homemade and using time wisely. Warning!! Justification to follow.

We all know the state of the economy and we do need to be wise consumers, but I felt good about paying $9 for the Beet salad. And, oh how delicious it was! Nine dollars isn't that much to fill your tummy and make a new food combination discovery, is it?

With regard to eating only food made from scratch in your own kitchen, well, this isn't always feasible when you're out and about. Besides, the chef at Trellis has a five acre garden where he grows much of the fruit and veg served at his restaurant. So it felt good to support a local farmer promoting the farm to table movement.

This next one may be a bit hard to justify. Lunch alone when you could be tackling a task doesn't seem like a good use of time, but I'll try. I sat waiting for lunch alternately looking outside the window at life passing by and reading about scientific studies on children. While eating, I overheard an elderly couple telling the waitress about their upcoming trip to Hawaii and I thought about family and resolutions and zest for life. And do you know what? The combination of all this: the food, life out the window, the act of reading and the sound of excitement in others, illicited a calming feeling in me.

I left geared up to finish my to-do list, greet my kids coming home from school and snuggling up with my family for the night. Not too bad for a $9 salad and 40 minutes out of my day.

So, here's to giving in to guilty pleasures here and there. Giving in a little might save you from giving up and giving in completely.

PERIPETY

In honor of Christmas and the New Year, I'm re-posting this one on PERIPETY...enjoy!!

Have you ever experienced a sudden change in events? A reversal in the normal course of action, or something that caused a shift in your direction? Maybe you learned something new that catapulted you on a fresh, inspired trajectory. This is called a Peripety.

Pronounced \pə-ˈri-pə-tē\ and defined by Websters as: a sudden or unexpected reversal of circumstances or situation, it comes from the Greek word Peripeteia and is where I find myself this Easter morning.

I am humble and thankful because I'm not who I was! Just as a fully mature tulip was once an ugly, course, dark and unexceptional bulb, I was once a different person than I am now. When I look back feelings of guilt don't corrupt me, I can look my "ugly" in the face and be thankful for my peripety.

When Jesus' loved ones went to the tomb to annoint His body with spices and oil, the grief they felt is unimaginable to us living on this side of the risen Lord. The empty tomb was the ultimate peripety, the reversal from death to life, unforgiveness to full forgiveness.

What an amazing truth of love and hope. When I accepted Jesus as the One who saved me from sin and death, my story suddenly changed. So, this Easter morning I'm swimming in the sweet fragrance of peripety, what about you?

Ephemeral

Ephemeral...you either know the meaning of it-or not. I confess until I looked it up the other day, I had a different notion of its meaning. It's one of those words people are afraid to use in a sentence, because it is harder to say than most everyday words. Also, it's meaning is so simple that the complexity of the word lends itself to a "hoity-toity-ness" people might raise an eyebrow at.

It simply means: lasting a short time; usually only a day. I always seem to think of food in some way when I write about ideas or memories. Like the time in Chicago I had a bowl of split pea soup from Smith and Wolinsky in 1998. I have not had a bowl of soup that delicious since then. That split pea soup to me was...ephemeral: lasting only 8 minutes.

In nature: ice sculptures, falling leaves or snow, icicles and puffy white clouds are ephemeral.

In media: brands, reputation, ideas

In art: still life portraits. These are one of my favorite forms of art. Famous artist from the past spent painstaking hours capturing a moment in time for us to enjoy. The still life to your left is obviously a contemporary work of art, but it immediately transports my emotions to comfort, laughter, even work.

Happiness is ephemeral too. It isn't a constant so it needs to be replenished. It is a "sensation which is felt by a person for a certain period of time before needing replenishment."

This is the perfect time of year to be mindful of ephemeral things. To capture them in our hearts and try to replenish them as soon as possible. I'd like to think we can be in a perpetual state of ephemeral-ness...replenishing that which only lasts for a short time, each day.

That might be hard to grasp, but if I can devour that cinnamon roll and steaming cup of coffee today and replenish it tomorrow...I just may achieve ephemeral-ness! So go out and capture the ephemeral things in your life today...a newborn's smile, a falling snowflake, a romantic moment, a memorable cup of soup...you never know when it will come around again.

Wabi

WABI means “an understated form of beauty, a quality of refinement masked by rustic simplicity" as defined in a book I just finished entitled, The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery.

This definition immediately provoked thoughts of food cooked simply. Food left exposed in its essential nature, only dressed to enhance inherent qualities-not to overwhelm or cheapen them.

Coarse-chopped carrots, halved small red potatoes, a triangle of uneven parmesan cheese and salmon barbequed with the skin on until crispy...this is rustic simplicity for the stomach!

My thoughts also lead me to interior design accents, understated and rustic. My new favorite candle is McCall's Country Canning - Hot Buttered Rum emanating warmth from a mason jar replete with metal handle. Wood furniture with divets and a banged-up charm allow me to feel as if I don't have to be too careful. I can just enjoy watching the elements of our busy life make it glow with rustic simplicity.

I'm sure that I've taken liberties with the original intent of Wabi's meaning...food and interior design are just material focal points that inspire me, but may not be what Japanese history scholars would assign to the definition. But my next point of reference may be something more internationally cultural, something a little bit more difficult to actually embody is...Character. If I may take further liberties:

What if we took the essence of Wabi and tried to make it a character quality?

"An understated form of beauty." Now for those of you that know me, I have a penchant for lipgloss, highlights, acrylic nails, handbags, jackets, shoes (and we'll stop there). Sometimes my mask is on so thick, I forget who I am until I wash it all off with Arbonne Creme Gelee. But even so we're still talking about things outside of character. Loud, brash, sarcastic...these things would not be wabi.

"A quality of refinement masked by rustic simplicity." When I relate this to quality of character, I think of an autodidact (self-taught person) who doesn't try to hammer people down with knowlege - they just love the art of learning...refined with rustic (natural) simplicity. Or a person with financial means that may rival any in zip code 98210, but who quietly observes the opportunity to offer philanthropic support and even down-home local service.

Well, I'm excited that the concept of Wabi has reintroduced me to character qualities I would like to work on. I'll make it a point to TRY and be understated and more simple, but for now I'd like to get in the kitchen for some rustic simplicity...prosciutto and coarse-chopped roasted carrots...yummy...