From 3
Suddenly You See Everything
and live in a garden where everything is good. has given them one rule: stay away from that one tree.
And of course. Whenever something's forbidden.
There's a snake that whispers: just take a bite. Then you'll finally know how things really are.
They take a bite. And instantly everything is different.
Their eyes open. They no longer see the world as a place where everything works out by itself. They understand what danger is. They look at themselves and think: we have nothing to wear.
For the first time they feel ashamed. They hide in the bushes and hope no one sees them.
The time when they thought about nothing is over. And it doesn't come back.
For today
Does this sound familiar?
You accidentally overhear something that wasn't meant for you. Grown-ups arguing in the kitchen while they think you're asleep. Or something on the news that you're still thinking about that night.
You never used to think about that. Now you do. And you can't go back to how it was.
Or this. You say something mean and you watch the other person's face change. In that moment you know exactly what you've done. It makes you go hot, and you want to disappear.
Say sorry? I'll pass. I'll just point at whoever's standing closest!
Take a look in the mirror:
- When did you most want to make yourself really small?
- What do you know now that you'd rather not know?
- Would you want to go back to being as little as you used to be? Really think about it.
Mirror line
I'd love to pretend I hadn't heard it, but I've learned you can't go back to not-knowing, however much you'd sometimes like to.
From 4
The Green Monster
and are brothers. They both bring a gift. Cain brings grain from his land, Abel brings his best sheep.
And then something painful happens. is pleased with Abel's gift. Not with Cain's.
Cain becomes furious. Not right away — it starts with a face like a coming storm. God tells him: watch out, this feeling is crouching at your door like an animal. You can master it.
But he doesn't listen.
He asks his brother to go out into the field with him. And there he kills him.
When God later asks where Abel is, Cain says: how should I know? Am I supposed to watch my brother?
It's the first story in the Bible about two people having a conflict. It ends as badly as it possibly could, right away.
For today
Does this sound familiar?
You've practiced your lines for the school play for weeks. You know every word. And who gets the lead? That girl who only showed up to audition yesterday. She gets all the compliments.
You tell a friend: she's not even that good, honestly.
That's the green monster. You're hoping to feel a little bigger by making her smaller.
It doesn't work, by the way. Usually it just makes you feel worse.
Be happy for her? Hard pass. I'll just say she didn't deserve it anyway!
Take a look in the mirror:
- When did you say something unkind about someone who had actually done something well?
- Where in your body do you feel jealousy? Your stomach, your throat, behind your eyes?
- Imagine you'd gotten the lead instead. Would you have noticed how the other person felt?
Mirror line
I'd love to say she wasn't even that good, but I've learned jealousy is usually just grief wearing a disguise.
From 6
Build Your Own Boat
The world has filled up with fighting and noise. It's one big mess, and decides to start over.
He gives the job of building an enormous boat. Right in the middle of dry land. Everyone's doubled over laughing: a ship on land, how do you even come up with that.
Noah keeps building. For years.
When it's finished, he goes inside with his family and a pair of every kind of animal. The door closes.
And then it starts to rain. The water rises and rises, and outside everything gets swept away. Inside, between the wooden walls, it's quiet.
Forty days. And then a very long wait until there's dry land again.
For today
Does this sound familiar?
There's unrest in your class. Fights on the playground, nasty comments at break, everyone's angry at everyone and no one remembers how it started. It wears you right out.
You're not going to change the whole class. You can't, and it's not your job either.
What you can do: not join in. And find two people who are calm, to do something that has nothing to do with the mess.
That's your boat. It's not big. But it floats.
Bring everyone along? Forget it. I'm building my own boat and leaving the rest to swim!
Take a look in the mirror:
- Where do you go when things get too loud in your head or at school?
- Who do you bring on board?
- When did you join in with trouble you'd actually rather have stayed out of?
Mirror line
I'd love to just leave everyone who's fighting behind, but I've learned you can't change the whole class — you can only build your own boat.
