Time is a Magician
Perspective and Pleasure Among the Rocks
There is an exhibition at the American Museum of Natural History that marks the history of the world. It begins with the formation of Earth on one side of the planetarium and traverses the circumference of the gallery covering photosynthesis to glaciation to dinosaurs. At the very end, hundreds of feet from the beginning, there is a notch in the ruler. It marks the presence of humans on the planet.
Joe and our girls and I have been driving through the surreal landscapes of the Southwest this week listening to the Ukrainian folk quartet DakhaBrakha and news from the region while gazing at rocks 2 billion years older than us.
At the Grand Canyon, it is as though the earth split herself open to remind us that we are newcomers here. What is revealed is a layer cake of history: sand from ancient deserts compressed into lines of red and magenta sit on top of ancient sea beds which were pressure-cooked into granite and then layered between volcanic ash. While we are the center of our own universes, we exist within a cosmos vast and beautiful beyond comprehension.
It is this perspective that I am holding today as I lean into the uncertainty that is being alive at this moment.
FROM THE INSTITUTE OF PLEASURE STUDIES
JOIN US!
LOVE LAB 101 was amazing! Joe and I are doing it again Sunday, March 6th from 3-5 PM EST. In this 90-minute workshop for partners and self-partnered people, you will fall in love with yourself, your partner(s), and a group of strangers. You will learn four practices that you can bring to all of your relationships to create more intimacy and connection.
If you are ready for a deeper dive, Relationship Tripping, our 6-week journey for partners begins on March 9th. We have room for 8 more couples. Email me to find out more.
COMING UP NEXT WEEK:
I had the great honor of spending two days walking and talking with Sam Brown. He was recently released from prison after 24 years. During his time behind bars, he developed The Theory of Emotional Illiteracy-Based Criminality and created programs that transformed him and the men around him. A lot has changed since he was locked up at the age of 20, but what surprised him the most is not what you would expect.
IN HONOR OF PAUL FARMER
Dr. Paul Farmer devoted his life to creating high-quality health care in resource-poor settings. He co-founded Partners in Health began in Haiti more than 30 years ago and now serves millions of patients in 11 countries around the world. In honor of his life and legacy, TPR will donate 50% of all new subscriptions this month to Partners In Health.