“______, Can’t live with ’em, can’t live without ’em.” In the blank space I’ve heard people insert everything from cars to jobs to sports teams. There are certain things in life that demand focus, patience, and persistence, that often lead to frustration, and to which we eventually succumb – even if begrudgingly.
Like so many, our time in the pandemic wilderness led me to say: “Zoom, can’t live with it, can’t live without it.” On the one hand, what a colossal learning curve and consistent set of struggles. On the other, where would we have been without a means to stay connected during our forced isolation. As painful as the pandemic experience has been, imagine getting through it without Zoom (or whatever your preferred platform became).
What saved me was discovering the world of virtual backgrounds and screen sharing. That revelation led to the creation of an arsenal of images, collected without rhyme or reason. Then, when on the sixth Zoom call of the day, I could post random pictures to offer a break, comic relief, and, ideally, spark great, even if irrelevant, discussions.
One my favorites was to post the picture above and simply ask: is it a sunrise, or is it a sunset…? It never ceased to amaze how passionate and intense some would become in their conviction about their answer. In the end, how we see, understand – and react – to the world is a choice; it is the choices we make that come to define what we value most, which, in turn, defines who we are.
I offer all this to say how much I love the new CEI logo.
And so, my friends, is our CEI sun rising or setting? There is no right answer; there is only your answer. May the answer you choose bring you meaning and direction, inspire your passion and service, and surround and fill you with…
Peace,
Andy