So here’s one of those “I have a lot of thoughts going on in my head, so let’s start typing and see if it turns into something that may be meaningful to someone.” Or something like that.
I just read an article about the concept of “filling the well” – basically, remembering moments of happiness, listening to music you love, dancing, observing others experiencing joy, and taking all of those things to fill your own well so that you can spread kindness to others.
As the ol’ saying goes: you can’t pour from an empty cup. You have to fill your own cup, replenish your energy. #FindTheBeautyInTheWorld, if you will.
I recently attended an art event, and as I was walking to the entrance, a lady recognized me. She grew up down the street from and went to school with my mom (I sure do miss her.) She was talking about all the music and film projects I’m involved with and how my mom would have been so proud. Anyone who knew her knew that my mother was my biggest fan, and it was nice to hear her remembered so fondly by someone who knew her most of her life.
That was a beautiful moment.
I recently got to spend some time with a friend I hadn’t seen in a couple of years. At one point during our adventures, I thought about how neither of us imagined that we’d be in that particular moment eight or nine years ago when we met. I thought about how we met through someone that neither of us remained friends with, but our friendship stayed intact and grew. I looked back over the years, thinking about all the dots that connected to get us to that particular place in time.
That was a beautiful moment.
This morning, a phrase popped up in my head, out of nowhere, that was said by a dear friend of mine probably 15 or so years ago. It was funny to me; I smiled. And she may never read this or even know that I’m referencing her, but that moment from that long ago still can bring a smile to my face.
That was a beautiful moment.
I’ve had long conversations with a few close friends recently about all kinds of deep subjects and recent experiences, and one thing I’ve mentioned to them is: I don’t feel like the same person I was back in June. I’m on some kind of journey. I’m trying to figure out who I am. It’s an ongoing thing, and I hope this Josh version 3.0 will stick around for a while.
I still struggle. I still have depressive episodes. After a lifetime of suppressing emotions, I’m learning more about the fact that I’m an emotional being (very… apparently… who knew?) But as I’ve mentioned before, I have a wonderful network of friends and a great therapist who accept and encourage me, even if they don’t necessarily subscribe to the new “hippie-shit” I’ve been examining lately. [Smiley face emoji would go here.]
And in all of this, I feel like I have an awareness or perspective that I didn’t have before. I’ve tried to slow down and focus on what’s important, what’s worth my energy. It’s a process. It’s a journey. And I don’t have answers (sorry if you got this far thinking I was going to provide some.) I have questions, I have feelings, I have thoughts, and I’m examining and testing a whole lot of stuff.
So if there’s anything to kind of wrap all of this up, maybe it’s a reminder to take a second to think about a beautiful moment. Savor it. Feel it. And refill your cup so that you can spread some kindness to another person. There are a lot of people out there hurting, and maybe you can help by just being the kind, thoughtful, authentic person that you are.
Find the beauty in the world. Thanks for reading. Much love.
josh carples 