Threads (no, not the social platform)

Know what I hate? An asterisk without a corresponding annotation.

It’s pretty much the worst kind of story loop, especially when there are a million other topics jockeying for position in my brain.

Angst ensues. Indignation for the inconvenience of wonder. How could someone be so careless! I have things to do, I don’t have time to wonder what I need to know! And now I have to decide whether to close this story loop myself (reallocate brain power) or move on (sure, just turn off the OCD).

UGH 😑

Know what I hate even more? When I clearly overlooked said annotation and find it later right* where it should have been.

Double UGH 😑

Sometimes such a detour is just an annoyance. But sometimes it cascades into a sequence of existential questions and gritty realizations –

How did I miss this? (unhelpful blame)

I should have seen it the first time. (even less helpful shame)

What else am I not seeing? (curiosity)

When life starts lifeing, we tend to put on blinders and see what we expect to see. We stop getting curious because hello 56,000 other brain-powered tasks that seem like more useful exploits of time and focus.

But if we can override our evolutionary defaults and channel our curious minds, we may find that what you experience or do over there helps you make sense of what is happening over here.

Or, at least that’s what I’m finding.

The thing about life is that it doesn’t happen in a vacuum. What happens at home and at work and in relationships and while parenting are all inextricably bound by a common thread: you.

We often keep our threads short, meaning we compartmentalize distinct areas of our life. Sometimes for good reason. But sometimes because, well, that’s what we’ve always done.

But what if we let the threads weave together more? Or let life be one long thread, variegated through the parts of our life we let intertwine? I mean, what’s the worst that could happen?

I started this series called “The Business of Life / The Life of Business” because I keep crossing through intersections that thread business and life (and life and business) together. And parenting. And relationships. And adulting. And running. And – –

It’s all related.

Here’s my theory: If you can get (and stay) curious long enough to let some parts of you thread together, maybe you open yourself up to gleaning insights from unexpected (but obvious) places. Or at least seeing what you might be missing.

*Yay, you found me!