Lifescapes

Vignettes of Vitality

The world offers you comfort. But you were not made for comfort. You were made for greatness.

—Pope Benedict XVI

Above: Wise words from the winged fellow.

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To the tadpole, the old frog says:
Yes, you will lose your tail.
But you will gain arms and legs.
You will learn to leap, to swim with intention,
to survive a world larger than the pond.

To the caterpillar, the butterfly says:
Yes, you are fed and sheltered.
You know the comfort of leaves and branches.
But you will grow wings.
And crawling will no longer be enough.

To the seed, the soil says:
Yes, you will be buried deep.
And it will feel like the end.
But you will break open, put down roots, 
and reach up towards the light. 

To the baby, the mother says:
Yes, the womb is warm and safe.
But you were not made to remain there.
You will breathe,
you will labor,
you will love something more than your life. 

And to you, dear reader—
you who are tired,
you who are afraid,
you who feel the unknown watching from dark corners and waiting in deep valleys—

This is not the beginning of your end.
It is the end of your beginning.

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Per my about page, White Noise is a work of experimentation. I view it as a sort of thinking aloud, a stress testing of my nascent ideas. Through it, I hope to sharpen my opinions against the whetstone of other people’s feedback, commentary, and input.

If you want to discuss any of the ideas or musings mentioned above or have any books, papers, or links that you think would be interesting to share on a future edition of White Noise, please reach out to me by replying to this email or following me on X.

With sincere gratitude,

Tom