Chuck the Mold. I Don’t Fit It. - Episode 36
Have you ever felt like the odd man out? Have you ever wished someone would speak up for you because you couldn’t? Or maybe you’ve had the opportunity to step up and be an ally for someone else. Val, has learned through time and experience that courage is essential to being there for those who need it. It’s taken a lifetime to go from her natural instinct to be concerned for the other, and not quite knowing what to do with that, to being a voice - speaking out, and speaking up, for those who are lacking even the basics. She developed confidence. We need to be more like that. It’s extraordinary how far one small act of kindness can go. And we don’t even need to see its fruit. That part is just not as important.
A failure was the greatest gift Val has been given. It set her on a course to help her rediscover who she has been all along. Now she has the courage and confidence to fully realize and act upon her passion for others. It is healing to advocate for yourself, and also for those who need it the most, as often they are not able to do so. They need people to be their ally and advocate. They need your confidence. You can put strong feelings into the world AND be kind. AND respectful.
Passionate. Silly. Striving.
— Val
As we get older we gain ourselves.
— Val
My Octopus Teacher x2
Thoughts from Chuck the Mold. I Don’t Fit It.
After talking with Val I remembered all the things I liked about her way back when and they still hold true today. She’s more of herself than she’s ever been and that’s a good thing. I hope that’s true of all of us.
A self-described lifelong learner, I find the same is true of myself. I thought I would share a recent time when I learned different things from watching the same movie twice.
My Octopus Teacher is a documentary available on Netflix. It tells the tale of a South African filmmaker who finds himself going through a dark time and how the ocean beckoned him to return. He did, and the movie chronicles his rediscovery, not just of the ocean, but of himself. He became more of who he already was, but had forgotten.
What struck me the first time was how wrecked I was by the ending. (No spoiler alerts here. I’ll leave it at that.) Several months ago I was at a friend’s house, and four women watched it together. I sobbed and held on to my friend Kathleen’s dog on the floor for the longest time. Overreaction to a movie? Maybe. Was I still releasing how hard 2019 had been? Maybe. Now it’s possible I was looking for comfort in her dog because earlier this year we said goodbye to my dog. It’s been hard being without my constant companion of 13 years. I’ve mentioned her, Callie, in these blogs. So that was reaction number one.
The second time I watched it was on Thanksgiving with Ron, Shaun, and my mom. (We had dinner together after being COVID tested. My mom is 81, going strong but with two auto-immune disorders we are extra careful for her sake.) They had not seen it before and I was happy to see it again. I assumed I would have a similar reaction. I was wrong. This time I found myself thanking God for these amazing, complex, varied creatures. Which brings me to a comment I made in the episode A Thanksgiving Treat. I mentioned that I have become more comfortable in the not knowing everything, including how creation and evolution could possibly co-exist. I don’t think it has to be either or. Why can’t it be both? God created, this I believe. Exactly how he did it, and for how long, I can’t say. How he used evolutionary principles seems obvious but to what extent? Again, I can’t say. I am comfortable now in the not knowing all the answers to the God questions. He gets to know the when, where, how and why of it all. And I get to trust he’s at work and has it all figured out. There is so much peace in knowing I do not have to speak for God. Oh, I have opinions and thoughts but I leave lots of room for the mystery. That’s his forte. And I am just happy to be part of it all.
What she taught me was to feel... that you're part of this place, not a visitor. That's a huge difference.
— Craig Foster, My Octopus Teacher
