Happy Aloha Wednesday Y’all!
I’m gonna shake things up this week, as is necessary from time to time to keep things fresh. My approach with these emails spawned from a professor that I had in college, the most impactful of my college career. Sandy Huntington was a Professor of Religious Studies, department chair, with a life-long scholarly focus on Buddhism. He spent many years in India before returning to the US to pursue his teaching path. I was convinced that he had attainted enlightenment during that time, living in a shack, meditating for days on end.
Sandy was soft spoken, wise beyond his years, the crows feet wrinkling that appeared when he was deep in thought (or just smiling) emblazoned in my memory, as is his voice, a slow practicality in the way he delivered a sentence; he was tender and drew you in with his monk-like demeanor. His image below, that slight smirk, like he was on in on some cosmic joke that you only hoped you would one day understand, lacks the pony tail he rocked all throughout my college years, but still captures his presence. Sadly, Sandy passed away a few years back, after a brief battle with cancer. A loss I try to honor every day I live. I’ll spare you additional details, as I could go on and on, but feel free to ask me about him some time.
Sandy had one type of homework assignment in all the classes I took with him, weekly essays (2-3 pages, single spaced, 10 pt. font) that had you critically examine multiple works across various subjects to find the thread that bound them together. And there was always a thread. It is with this same approach that I take these emails, my nod to one of the most influential people I have ever met. Sandy also taught me about meditation, having his students “sit” for an hour before one of his weekly classes, to quiet the mind, and prepare for the scholarly journey ahead. As a person whose mind seldom quiets, each days practice is just another nod to Sandy’s influence. Each one of those meditations began with him reciting his version of the Metta Prayer, one that inspired the one I recite religiously every day in the morning, to this day. You can find it below.
So, instead of the normal insert I wanted to share with you a [LINK to a Recording]( that I put together for the DSG team meeting a few weeks back as I could not be present. In lieu of the typical motivation, I invite you to take 10 minutes to watch it. I had fun putting it together!
Finally, there are so many things I am grateful for and YOU are certainly one of them! Thank you for being an amazing teammate, confidant, a fist to bump, a five to high, an ear to bend, etc…ad nauseum, ad infinitum. I am excited to be present with my loved ones this long weekend and hope you enjoy it, the way you see fit, as well.
Mahalo Nui Loa!
RIP C.W. “Sandy” Huntington
Matthew’s Metta Prayer
May I be well, may I be at peace, may I be happy healthy and safe
May my family be well, may they be at peace, may they be happy, healthy, and safe
May my friends be well, may they be at peace, may they be happy, healthy, and safe
May my co-workers be well, may they be at peace, may they be happy, healthy, and safe
May my customers be well, may they be at peace, may they be happy, healthy, and safe
May all those who are strangers to me be well, may they be at peace, may they be happy, healthy, and safe
May my enemies be well, may they be at peace, may they be happy, healthy, and safe
May the earth, and all living creatures be well, may they be at peace, may they be happy, healthy, and safe
Matthew’s Mantra
May I be positive when my thoughts might shift to negative
May I be patient when I am feeling the compulsion to rush
My I be quiet when things are getting loud
May I be motivated when the urge to be lazy arises
May I be energized when my energy levels are low
May I be a catalyst to raise others when they are down
May I be focused when the mission starts to blur
