#361: SPOTLIGHT: Rudy Karsan
SUPER CHANGE! WEEK #4:
We are now in WEEK 4 using this new CFC format, where we pose two questions to someone in the community in which they pick just one to answer in less than 24 minutes! This one below that Rudy chose was one of my personal favorites to respond to. Hope you enjoy it!
- Amanda
Question for Rudy:
Can you recall a specific moment in the last four months that you were in what you would consider to be “nature” and thought or felt for at least a split second that “maybe all is actually right with the world” ?
Rudy's Response:
We were in south east Alaska a couple of weeks ago with my wife, mom, daughter and grandkids. There was a 48 hour period which was simply amazing. My grandson, Felix insisted that we were going to be buddies for 48 hours and he would only play with me. Our play consisted of storytelling, running around and imaginary journeys to the planets. We have also built a house in the sky. During this period we saw an Orca pick off a sea lion from an ice floe, bears playing with their cubs, bald eagles all over the place, kayaking where he insisted that I should rest since I was old and that he would paddle, and a couple of hikes that took us to wondrous places including a beautiful waterfall. This part of the planet is truly wilderness (no wifi, not even starlink) and the air is fresh. We even did a polar plunge. There were countless "moments".
My takeaways in no particular order:
I think that I am more important than I really am;
stressing the body, like doing a polar plunge is a really good thing, the effects last awhile;
being a playmate to a five year old who is running around in the wilderness is deliciously exhausting;
totem poles are fascinating to a child and therefore now fascinating to me;
nature isn't polite so why do we say please and thank you. Try explaining that to a five year and hear yourself trying to sound coherent;
it is really liberating to release control and get direction from a five year old;
disciplining children is overrated;
today's problems are greatly exaggerated when you are in the wilderness; keeping an eye out for bears is way more important;
most, if not all of my anxieties are self-inflicted, why do I insist on self-flagellation;
connecting with your spirit is a lot easier when you get rid of the noise;
nature will always win. She doesn't care, she just is;
Just being in the moment is really, really hard until it isn't;
everything about a five year old is so pure - the joy, the hurt, the caring, the love; when did I lose that purity and more importantly, why?;
everything is cyclical so death is simply a transition to a new state. The soul is eternal. Therefore nothing matters.
a deeper understanding that we are spiritual beings having a physical experience.
It's all going to be okay.
Amanda’s thought…
I suspect Rudy would love all direct responses from you. I find it incredibly encouraging when I hear from any of you after I share my thoughts. It is powerful for me. I assume many others have a similar experience. So here is Rudy's email… pip
Wow, Rudy - there is so much here that resonates. The line, or technically the question, that stood out to me most was, "When did I lose that purity and more importantly, why?" I don't have the answer but this is something I've pondered for awhile when I am with children. It makes me wonder how my experiences would change if I stuck true to my emotions and vulnerabilities more often - would I connect more deeply with those around me, to the work I do, to the natural world and animals, and even to myself? Would I feel more curious, passionate, and creative if I more wholeheartedly experienced joy, hurt, and love like I used to? As an adult, it's easy for anxious thoughts and expectations to alter my ability to feel and be in the present moment fully and authentically. But in this wonderful story with your grandson, you showed how experiences can really spring to life if you welcome and embody that playful, emphatic, and creative child-like energy. Thank you, Rudy.
- AP
