Daily Compass

“I grew into who I am through the unfettered growth of my imagination. Looking back, I realize that the values I treasure were shaped through my imaginary wanderings as a child and refined through my experiences as an adult. But whoever it is that I am today, that person can be glimpsed in a boy who played on the driveway and delivered papers. If I am impatient with the world as it is, it is only because I learned to dream of a better world as a child.” -Stefan Jonasson

How have your imaginary wanderings shaped you?

“We believe in the creative imagination as a power in promoting the good life.” -Lewis McGee

When you imagine a “good life,” what does it include?

“By imagining ourselves on the far side of our threshold, we are actually stretching our attention beyond the limits of our senses. Gentle intention will open our awareness, allowing us to perceive what lies beneath the surface of things. It is a way of open-ended wondering, imagining what we are moving toward. Then, having imagined ourselves on the far side of the threshold we are crossing, we look up to find our own self waiting there, encouraging us on, and welcoming us as we arrive in a place where we have never been before.” -Karen Hering

What threshold do you need to imagine yourself crossing?

“Imagine for a moment that the binary world no longer exists—because it doesn’t. There are instead shades and tones in a spectrum of life—human identity spilling over and filling many cups at once. Each cup a moment of memory, a snippet of story, a wellspring of wisdom. Each cup a new opportunity to share ourselves with others, to inspire deeper understanding and to develop deeper wisdom about this thing we call life.” -Paul Langston-Daley

What does it mean to you to imagine shades and tones in abundance? 

“May we be open to receiving the simple gifts of life. May we find unexpected ways to remember where we came from and imagine where we may go next. May we find touchstones of our pasts, and may they become a foundation for the future.” -Alex Haider-Winnett, a prayer from a reflection entitled “Petrichor”

Make yourself open to receiving simple gifts around you today.