Oct. 5, 2022

 “The less I seek my source for some definitive, the closer I am to fine.”

~The Indigo Girls

Beloveds,

I heard an old song recently, and the line above has been on replay in my head. It speaks to something in me that periodically (or maybe almost-constantly) tries its best to convince me that arranging things just right, knowing the absolute, factual truth, and choosing the very best “right” course of action is a matter of survival. I believe neuroscience might (informally) label this my “lizard brain”, and when I’m not too stressed, I can also access the mammalian & human centers of my brain, which remind me that connection and relationship and love are crucial for my own individual well-being and for our collective flourishing. No matter how well I study up on the workings of my brain, however, I still find myself sometimes back in my reptilian brain and needing to be reminded to use the full complement of my mental and emotional tools and not just the most basic and quickly engaged reactions (which I do honor for their tenacity at the important job of keeping me alive!). Personally, I tend to find, over and over again, that everything I need to know comes to me set to music! Insert here a moment of gratitude for the Indigo Girls and other favorite artists. 

If you, too, find yourself caught up in the pressure to do, think, feel, or be something “right”, consider this a random invitation (from me to you) to take a deep breath, pause in the sometimes unrelenting pursuit of “rightness” and just feel fine. (The song quoted above is entitled “Closer to Fine” if you want to see if listening helps.) Recall our covenant with each other, and know that together we will seek truth and love and the life of the spirit, and as long as we have each other, our survival doesn’t depend on each of us being perfectly correct at every moment. 

Yours in all the fineness available to us, 

Rev. Denise

P.S. I am still wondering: Where on our church campus do you feel most at home? And why? What is special, comforting, awe-inspiring or whatever about your favorite GNUUC space? Please send a quick email to let me know!

Rev. Denise Gyauch
Minister, Greater Nashville UU Congregation
RevDenise@gnuuc.org