Author: aryask@gmail.com

A typical warm and sunny afternoon in San Diego, I entered the hotel lobby to meet with Timi. A thoughtful friend and mentor and a successful executive coach, she was easy to talk with and sharp at cutting to the real issues. We sat in the lounge area and began to catch up on work and life. The underlying thread that shaped the conversation was one of purpose and growth. I told her about my recent trip to Europe and how I wanted to align my research and long-term vision. The main themes I had been exploring were centered on work-related issues - mainly collaboration, creativity, mindfulness, and innovation. She drew attention to my strengths and ambitions and told tales about how she guided people to think differently in the…

Clarity and confusion meet for afternoon tea, neither trying to change the other, just there, so abruptly, lacking apathy. They talk money, they talk comfort and belonging, seducing the other into not believing a thing, trusting a simple beauty. The idea of community seemed so far-fetched, the only thing left was an internal stretch of desire, an eternal longing with a moment sure to not last, an intimate moment with chance, or perhaps choreographed for an unforgettable dance. In the end, nothing had really changed, yet each walked away with something new to reflect, deferred the forensics and returned to where it all began, with plenty of money in the bank to invest in the community.

We've all heard about the rose that grew from the concrete. This is the story about the butterfly that nose-dived onto the pavement. After a refreshing swim in the lake, I was ready to eat. Under a clear blue sky, a scorching sun pressing onto me. Backpack holding my weight for a long walk by a big blue lake. Up on the surrounding trees, an orchestra of crickets of some kind guiding me all around, nothing could overcome their sound, not even the occasional car passing by. There was a constant stream of butterflies and like them, I was drifting, with no aim but where I was, pollinating. One yellow butterfly took my attention as it flew over the road, turning my neck I followed. Elevated until it was about…