Most Tuesdays I deliver a taste of what I’m reading, watching, and thinking about, right to your inbox. Here’s your Taste of Tuesday.
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March 19, 2024

One summer when I was a counselor at UCLA Hall of Fame Coach John Wooden’s basketball camps, I found myself sitting at a lunch table in the Cal Lutheran University cafeteria with Coach Wooden, Dallas Cowboys Head Coach Tom Landry (in town for training camp), and (local resident) baseball manager Sparky Anderson. I didn’t say a word – just listened.

The conversation as I remember it was just friendly banter. The three old friends didn’t dig deep into timeless coaching wisdom. No secret meaning of life was revealed. Except maybe that there is something important to be gained from spending time with people you like and respect, especially when that means taking a break from the working routine you diligently follow the rest of the time.

As for shortcuts, I have an easier time navigating this life when I remember my Marcus Aurelius: “What stands in the way becomes the way.”

Over the last couple years I’ve produced this weekly newsletter to share perspectives on our circumstances, strategies and tools I use, and written, recorded, or performed works that get me thinking and/or bring me joy.

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❤️‍🩹🎻 In the Broken Places We Are Sometimes Stronger —

In “A Farewell to Arms” Ernest Hemingway wrote, “The world breaks everyone and afterward many are strong at the broken places.” I’ve long been fascinated by the nature of breaking and healing – fractured bones that knit together more intensely, kintsugi artists who honor mishaps with precious metals. But sometimes stuff just breaks, and in schools that happens all the time. At least, that’s what we see. What we don’t often see is that there are still people who care, and who have the capacity to make things better. Oscar-winning filmmakers Ben Proudfoot and Kris Bowers have given us “an all-access pass to the nondescript downtown warehouse where a dwindling handful of devoted craftspeople keep over 80,000 student instruments in good repair.” From Bowers: “We were floored and proud to find out that our city, Los Angeles, was home to the last shop of this kind in the country.” The Last Repair Shop is healing and inspiring.

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🎙️ What I’m Listening To —

"Grandma’s Hands" by Bill Withers

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📺 What I’m Watching —

I was dumb lucky enough to be in London when Guy Ritchie released “Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels” (1998) and “Snatch” (2000) in theaters. The movies would’ve been enough, but the audience responses were the icing on the cake. The experiences made me a huge fan of Ritchie’s storytelling style and especially his musical taste, so I jumped when I saw he released 8 episodes of “The Gentlemen” on Netflix. I just finished. It’s been emotional.

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🤔 Quote I’m pondering —

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Thanks for reading, and please feel free to reply to this email. Which bite is your favorite? What would you like to see more or less of? Any other suggestions?

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David Preston Educator & Author ​https://davidpreston.net​ Latest book: ACADEMY OF ONE​

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