February 9, 2010 by Nathalie
I have a new job. It’s a good one.
I am grateful for the confluence of things that made it possible, not the least of which is my own hard work. But there are many others to thank and be grateful for. Making it all happen has taken up a large part of the last few months, which explains my brief hiatus from blogging. My return to writing has been cause for some rumination, and maybe some pressure (on myself) about starting the new year [new decade, new job] right.
This morning it finally hit me, as I found myself receiving a most sincere expression of gratitude from someone who, like me, lives in a fully bilingual world of Spanish and English:
This year may have started off being about gratitude, but it’s the grace in receiving where the crux lies.
I found myself struggling to respond, as I thought about the essential difference between ‘you’re welcome‘ versus ‘de nada‘. ‘De nada’ means literally ‘for nothing’ but the intention, while generally used just as ‘you’re welcome‘ is used in English, is really more of a downplaying, an expression of humility. In Spanish there is this dance we dance, this protocol of expressing humility in the face of flattery or gratitude. It is admittedly sometimes a feigned humility, but the sentiment is nonetheless there, and the expression ‘de nada‘ truly embodies that dance. It really begged the question, what does the bold, straightforward ‘you’re welcome‘ say about the English language, and it’s cultures of origin? In contrast to ‘de nada‘, it feels almost arrogant, as if assuming that the thank you is something more than just a polite expression, as if affirming that the person expressing thanks has reason be thankful. And yet taken more literally, there is beauty in an affirmation of being welcome, warmth in telling someone they are welcome. Don’t we all ultimately want to be welcome?
Simple words, so much culture embedded, so much intention to glean from language. So much that goes into receiving even simple things, like gratitude.
Bottom line, this morning I concluded I want to acknowledge my own desire to be welcome by giving what I want to receive (YOU’RE WELCOME), but I want humility too, and to dance (DE NADA).
So in 2010 I will choose both: You’re Welcome+De Nada.
Posted in Business JuJu, Language, Life lessons | Tagged crossing cultures, culture, Engligh, gratitude, humility, intention, interpretation, Language, Latino, Spanish, Thanks, translation | 1 Comment »
December 9, 2009 by Nathalie
That gem of a blog you can’t believe you didn’t know about until this year.
My discovery of Box of Crayons definitely qualifies, I discovered it early in 2009, not sure how I managed before it. Michael Bungay Stanier has rocked my world many, many times. Go Michael, be a bird, not a machine!
Posted in Business JuJu, Inspiring Storytelling | Tagged #best09, #best09-blogfind, Box of Crayons, Getting unstuck, Michael Bungay Stanier | 1 Comment »
December 9, 2009 by Nathalie
Was there a conference or workshop you attended that was especially beneficial? Where was it? What did you learn?
This Fall, prior to heading to NYC for a phenomenal DanceMeditation intensive (I could write a small novel on that one!), I flew to Oaxaca for day of the dead, with the hopes of participating in a fabulous creativity workshop for photographers. When I got there I found that my time in Mexico was not my own, it had a momentum entirely its own and in the final tally, I…
- Missed all workshop related activities, but the final farewell party
- Missed 3 flights getting to NYC
- Lost my wallet
But more importantly, I…
- Had a damn-near religious experience under a full moon, in a cemetery (trust me)
- Danced atop a pyramid on a gorgeous windswept afternoon
- Took this photo:
Monte Alban
Above all else, I walked away feeling like I hadn’t missed a single little thing…the feeling of abundance can be a very, very good thing.
Posted in Inspiring Storytelling, Life lessons | Tagged #best09, #best09-Workshop, abundance, day of the dead, dia de los muertos, Mexico, Oaxaca | 1 Comment »
December 9, 2009 by Nathalie
Did you have a night out with friends or a loved one that rocked your world? Who was there? What was the highlight of the night?
2009 has been a year of consistent and rather awe-inspiring serendipity, a shift from pushing things into existence to an overwhelmingly powerful sense of pulling the universe in, right up against my nose where I can smell it and relish every little morsel.
While I have a long list of gorgeous nights of fun, laughter, meditation and even ecstasy…the first thing I thought of when reading this question was a night just before the warmth of Spring kicked in. I spent a long, cathartic evening with a dear friend, a sister really…letting her hold me close, and watching as things imploded around me.
In the final stages of incubation, the warm embrace of a loved one is exactly what you need to break the eggsshells, once and for all.
Gracias Carla.
Posted in Inspiring Storytelling, Life lessons | Tagged #best09, #best09-nightout, incubation, pull, push | Leave a Comment »
December 8, 2009 by Nathalie
What book – fiction or non – touched you? Where were you when you read it? Have you bought and given away multiple copies?
While my favorite Rushdie book is by far, The Ground Beneath Her Feet, I have a special place in my psyche for Haroun and the Sea of Stories. I used it once to ignite a fire under a talented and inspiring friend who, like a stack of dry firewood rife with potential, just needed a little spark to get him going. For those who haven’t had the pleasure, you will find this a rare, highly visual reading experience…just begging to be turned into…a play? A painting? Another story? Something. The theme of silence present in the book is something I struggle with, as both threat and solace…silence like time (as the Sufi saying goes), is a sword.
This little story is dedicated to my friend, rife with potential:
While Rushdie was writing The Satanic Verses his 9 year old son Zafar (who lives with his first wife Clarissa) said it was wrong that he didn’t write books that children could read. Rushdie made a deal that the next book he wrote would be one his son might enjoy reading. The germ of the story was bath-time stories he told Zafar. Rushdie says: “I would have these basic motifs, like the Sea of Stories, but each time I would improvise–not only to please him but to test myself, to see if I could just say something and take it elsewhere.”
He began to write the novel in the summer of 1989, a few months after the fatwa.
I make a point to give away Rushdie, every chance I get!
Posted in Inspiring Storytelling | Tagged inspiration, Salman Rushdie, #best09, Books, spark, Brent, fatwa, Satanic Verses, #best09-book, Sufi | Leave a Comment »
December 3, 2009 by Nathalie
What’s an article that you read that blew you away?
This is what happens after two very unusually long and taxing days at work…total mind fart. I know only a handful of people who drown their friends with more articles than I do, but right this moment, I am at a loss. So I will cover the one that I spoke about most recently. I get together every month at the full moon with a phenomenal group of wise women…and last night we got into this “thing” that’s in the air, this kind of shift towards a more female oriented paradigm, which prompted a conversation about business and capitalism in general. In came Noreena Hertz and “co-op capitalism”…I tend to agree that there is definitely something in the air, and it smells LOVELY!
Posted in Business JuJu, Inspiring Storytelling, Women | Tagged #best09, #best09-article, co-op capitalism, crone, full moon, Noreena Hertz, wise women | Leave a Comment »
December 3, 2009 by Nathalie
Share the best restaurant experience you had this year. Who was there? What made it amazing? What taste stands out in your mind?
This fall I had a gorgeous, darn near orgasmic dinner with a very inspiring artist and friend at Umi Sake House in Belltown (Seattle). Umi is one of my favorite sushi restaurants. But this evening especially, our dishes were absolutely inspired, and the toro was so fresh and delectable. It’s was truly a thing of beauty. We ate slowly and savored every bite with a sigh. Later, we concluded that I am a hopeless hedonist. A happy, hopeless hedonist, of course. We sipped lychee lemonades and nearly licked the dishes clean. Mostly we sat quietly without much need for meaningless banter, sitting in awe as our mouths watered and enjoyed every last bite.
Phenomenally delicious food, even more delicious company. Yum.
Posted in Inspiring Storytelling | Tagged #best09, #best09-restaurant, happy hedonist, Hedonism, Sushi | 1 Comment »
