Dec
27
This is the first time I’m starting a blog for myself. I know, it is almost like getting a Color TV in 1998, which is funny cause I’ve developed quite a few blogs for friends and clients in the past but I never built enough courage to actually start and maintain one for myself.
Until now. Well, more like, until 6 months ago when I started brainstorming different names for it.
I didn’t feel very comfortable using my name as the URL, so after thinking about it (a lot) and asking myself what will be the blog about? The answer was clear.
Last August I was reading a magazine someone forgot at an airport chair. In there I found an article about The Tao, which is a Chinese character often translated as “The Way of Nature” and it is described in the Chinese culture as “simply the way and order of the Universe”. Even if I wanted to explain it, I couldn’t. As the Tao it self says: “Those who explain the Tao, don’t understand it”.
When Lao Tsu (the fine looking gentleman to the left and legendary author of the Tao Te Ching) wanted to illustrate the greatness of Tao (an impossible tasks according to the Tao itself), he often explained that everything, the whole universe arises from the Tao, and in order to illustrate that belief, he needed the biggest figure, the biggest concept known to men, and so he referred to it as: The Ten Thousand Things.
“All things arise from Tao. They are nourished by Virtue. They are formed from matter. They are shaped by environment. Thus the ten thousand things all respect Tao and honour Virtue. Respect of Tao and honour of Virtue are not demanded. But they are in the nature of things. Therefore all things arise from Tao. By Virtue they are nourished, developed, cared for, sheltered, comforted, grown and protected. Creating without claiming; doing without taking credit; guiding without interfering - this is Primal Virtue.
The phrase generally means “everything”. But there is an inherent depth to this set of words, and I can’t tell you exactly what it should mean to you, I can only try to illustrate what it means to me.
This are my Ten Thousand Things. This are the interesting (and boring) things I already share with my friends using other channels, like for instance… post-its. Although I would probably have to stop doing that, being Christmas and all, there’s so much things to share that I will need to get a Post-It Family Pack at Cosco to keep up.
I also wanted to use this space to honor all the special moments I had this past year. For a lack of better expression… IT WAS OFF THE CHIZZLE!
Seriously, I got to see snow for the first time (A LOT), I visited my partners in Albuquerque twice, I accomplished my long time dream of visiting New York, I was invited to speak at a Design Conference in Asunción, and on top of everything else, I enjoyed my first year of marriage with my lovely and beautiful G.
Wheew...
It’s exciting when you look back and see all the things you have done and accomplished in the past years, but its even more exciting to look ahead and realize there are still Ten Thousand Things waiting to be discovered and accomplished.
One thing is for sure: whatever the future brings, I have now found a way to share it with the world.
So what’s next?
You might want to grab the RSS feed at the bottom so you can get notified of updates and new articles. That’s it! Welcome once again and enjoy your stay.
Oh, I almost forgot!
Today I’m turning 29! woohoo! So feel free to buy me all kinds of gifts.
