[2020-12-19] Gmorning, Gnight
Today, one of Santa's elves delivered a goodie bag of treats to my front steps, among them the book Gmorning, Gnight!: little pep talks for me & you by Lin-Manuel Miranda.
Before Miranda became famous for his play Hamilton, he was sharing twice daily messages of inspiration with his followers on Twitter. In 2018, he published Gmorning, Gnight! containing a selection of these greetings, illustrated by Jonny Sun. The book is described as "a touchstone for anyone who needs a quick lift."
In the introduction to the book, written in the form of a poem, Miranda says:
I don't have a book of quotations
Or wisdom I pull from the shelf;
Most often the greetings I wish you
Are the greetings I wish for myself.
So if I write "relax," then I'm nervous,
Or if I write, "cheer up," then I'm blue.
I'm writing what I wish somebody would say,
Then switching the pronoun to you.
I can relate to Miranda's sentiment. So often, what I write about is what I need in the moment. If I'm trying to be more empathetic, I write about empathy. If I'm trying not to worry about tomorrow, I write about focusing on today.
Miranda also relates that his Twitter followers would say that his gmornings and gnights were the nicest things on their phones. And just as Miranda has heard "This saved me," "I need this reminder," "I printed this out" and "Will you make a book, please?" I have received such messages. Today, for instance, Santa's elf said, "You are inspiring so many and sharing a message of hope for everyone!" It is my privilege to receive so much love and encouragement from all of you, and it is my honour to reflect these back to you.
My posts are often inspired by something one of you has gifted to me, written to me or said to me. And because I'm what Malcolm Gladwell called a maven in The Tipping Point—that is, someone who accumulates and shares knowledge—I am compelled to pass along the wonderful ideas that come my way.
In that spirit, I present a few of my favourite Miranda pairs: a greeting to start the day and a variation to end the night.
Good morning, he said,
Be at home in your head.
Make sure joy is well fed.
Don't let dread hog the bed. | Good night now, and rest,
Today was a test.
You passed it, you're past it.
Now breathe till unstressed. |
Gmorning!
You're gonna make mistakes.
You're gonna fail.
You're gonna get back up.
You're gonna break hearts.
You're gonna change minds.
You're gonna make noise.
You're gonna make music.
You're gonna be late, let's GO. | Gnight!
You're gonna fall down.
You're gonna be tested.
You're gonna learn about yourself.
You're gonna get brave.
You're gonna take stands.
You're gonna make waves.
You're gonna make history.
You're gonna need rest, REST UP. |
Good morning, beautiful.
Make someone happy today.
I promise you it'll bounce back. | Good night, beautiful.
Make room for happiness tomorrow.
If you make room for it, it'll show up. |
Good morning.
Eyes up.
Hearts up.
Minds sharp.
Compassion on full blast.
*sips coffee*
Okay, let's go. | Good night.
Eyes shut.
Hearts open.
Minds calm.
Empathy on full blast.
*sips tea*
Okay, let's go. |
Gmorning.
This feeling will pass.
This workload will pass.
These people will pass.
But look at you, with the gift of memory.
You can time travel to the good stuff
just by closing your eyes & breathing.
Then come right back to now,
eyes up for the good stuff ahead.
You magic thing. | Gnight.
The moment will pass.
This fatigue will pass.
Tonight will pass.
But look at you, with the gift of imagination.
You can teleport to where you're happiest just by closing your eyes & breathing.
Then come right back to now,
check in with the present.
You magic thing, you. |
I'll end this post with a little pep talk my daughter gave me tonight. I was lamenting the fact that my baking didn't turn out as perfect as I'd like it to be. She said, "Mom, you're not entering these squares into a competition. You're entering them into people's mouths. And they'll be grateful for them."
How true.
Gnight!
