When I’ve received “love notes” over the years, I’ve never been sure whether the sender was just challenging me to think harder or see something in a different way … or whether they thought I was an idiot.
In any case, I did my best learning this way. The “oh holy fuck, I can’t unpublish that. I either have to correct it or just not fuck it up in the future. And I don’t EVER want to get a note like this again.”
I also do my best thinking this way. I tend to function in reaction mode. Do this, fix that, put out that fire.
When asked about long-term plans and goals and what I was thinking, I finally pause. I take a break from forcing the puzzle pieces to fit together with the aid of a blowtorch, super glue and deadly force. I start to draw connections I always knew were there, but didn’t know I had the time to find.
These days, I send a lot of love notes myself. Only, I’m not challenging anyone to think differently. I’m just politely asking them to think, period.
One wonders if they can hear the untyped thoughts … because I can hear them pretty loudly myself.