See Cyclops, Sea

From the tragedy of citizens, plagued by compounded, pressurized, social contracts — the Renaissance period arose. A proliferation of deeply moving, thoroughly developed expressions of the human condition.

The Cyclops Polyphemus by Annibale Carracci, 1595 - 1605

Within our lifetime: COVID, social media addiction, climate crises, and so on. Looking through my own experience of unbelievably calcifying life events, my creativity made way for the most peculiar thing: snails.

Resilience and sensitivity, in the same body.

An endless source of amusement.

See life, laugh!

I've spent the last three years observing, reframing my worldview in short sprints. The lessons generalize because the path of most humans is almost always guarded by the confounding riddles of gatekeepers.

My history is a lifelong record of shame-induced paralysis at the first sign of Cyclops — with his erratic projections and hardened expressions.

Here now, today — I’ve gained compassion for my recoil. Because the logic of self-compassion reverberates far past snails, to the spirit of those who tune their ears toward the discarded handicrafts, the loss of purpose, and the splintering of communities.

For perspective, Odysseus took ten years to sail home from a war that lasted a decade more! The actual distance was not his problem — he had to learn to ebb and flow.

What eventually carried him home wasn't his usage of brute strength. It was the clarity of atonement.

What is a riddle, if not a rhythm for dancing souls?…