Category: Holidays

What Does a Blackened Person Need When We Come to the Table?

Posted on November 26, 2019May 30, 2023 by Brook Thornley

We are days away from Thanksgiving and we can all feel the buzz softly starting, as if the time to come around the table is just a few hours away. Wherever you go you can find others doing last minute preparations so that we can just get to that great day already! Before we do, we need to make sure all our tasks are taken care of and our lists are all checked off. Extra attention to our last-minute planning will lead to a more rewarding Thanksgiving day and has the possibility of creating strong and memorable moments and stories.

This Thursday, Thanksgiving Day, if we pay attention to a few “what, where, when, and how’s,” we will have a great time when we are all together. Whether the day runs smoothly or runs into chaos, this attention can determine how fond the memories might be. Making it run smoothly is determined in the tasks that we take care of ahead of time in the next few days.

Tasks are the strength of the Blackened Design so this week let’s talk about what is important to those close to us that are Blackened.

Five Things a Blackened Person is Grateful For When We Come to the Table:

Be on time. Start when you say the dinner will start.
Be resourceful with time and resources. Waste is frustrating to a Blackened person.
Create casual spaces with all the excess the holidays can bring. Have a ball game playing in another room, a relaxing game of pool or a good show that can provide a casual escape from all the intensity of holiday celebrating.
Good old dry wit or sarcasm is a great form of play for the Blackened design. When conversations feel too stuffy it makes them feel uncomfortable.
Be real with them. Honesty is key.

So mark off all the tasks on your list and then enjoy having honest conversations and building relationships that are worthy of memories. BE GRATEFUL, and remember,

everyone is a masterpiece.

Brook

11.14.19 What Does a Whitened Person Need When We Come to the Table

11.19.19 What Does a Grayed Person Need When We Come to the Table

11.6.18 Thanksgiving: Who’s Coming to Dinner?

What Does a Grayed Person Need When We Come to the Table?

Posted on November 19, 2019May 30, 2023 by Brook Thornley

When we think of the Holiday Season we are well served to focus on traditions. They provide a thread of connection but can also play a crucial role in securing relationships. Those events, dynamics, and interactions that are the same each time the season comes around give us something to look forward to and provide a dream or event to romanticize the season. If we could take a space of time to stop and ponder on the meaning that each tradition holds for us personally, it will enhance our connections as we come to the table as the holidays unfold.

At Thanksgiving time, as we anticipate coming around the table with those we love, keep in mind the people you want to connect with. If we have a desire to connect at a deeper level or just to get

to know someone even better, we are well served to focus on the details of the connection. A healthy back and forth that leads to sharing and lending is a good place to start when wanting to find out new details of someone you might be sitting next to or someone who is new to the table. When focusing on details of friendships old and new, or family ties from way back when or more recent, everyone loves to bond through getting to know each other on a deeper level.

Details are the strength of the Grayed design, so this week, let’s talk about what is important to those close to us that are Grayed.

Five Things a Grayed Person is Grateful for When we Come to the Table:

1. Providing thorough instructions about what is going to unfold (down to the smallest detail, like when to come to the table, where to sit, when to start eating and what will come next and at what point would you like me do that…).

2. Smaller connections and conversations are more rewarding. Even in a big group, a smaller subgroup is better.

3. Leave time to take it all in. Rushing through things takes away from the interaction and enjoyment of the experience.

4. In conversations, don’t always move too quickly, or look for an immediate answer. Allowing time to process is key.

5. Leave a space for the Grayed to move continuously through the dinner or event. Connect the activities so it feels fluid. If it is right after dinner sipping on hot cider, or as we anticipate the end of the event, slow it all down to think back on all that has taken place.

If we take a few minutes of careful planning to make sure that these things are considered when entertaining our Grayed loved ones, it will insure a better interaction, a deeper connection, and strengthen the future experiences we have with each Grayed person.

Happy Holidays and remember:

Everyone is a masterpiece.

Brook

11.14.19 What Does a Whitened Person Need When We Come to the Table

11.6.18 Thanksgiving: Who’s Coming to Dinner?

What Does a Whitened Person Need When We Come to the Table?

Posted on November 14, 2019May 30, 2023 by Brook Thornley

The holiday season is upon us and we are creating social events and offering invitations. Socializing is one of the best ways to renew our relationships with those we love. It protects relationships from getting stale. It breeds life and progress into relationships and helps them move along. When you really evaluate it, we do most of our interacting with others in social settings.

The holidays are a great time to focus on our friendships, old and new, and get to know each other at a deeper level. It provides many opportunities to play and laugh with others. Socializing happens at those holiday parties when we come together as families, co-workers, and neighbors, but those are not the only times we will find ourselves socializing this holiday season. It is any time or event that we personally deem a “social” situation. For example, it could be a meeting, but we deem it social in our mind. These are also places we have opportunities to get to know each other better.

As we come around the table on Thanksgiving Day, as well as other times, it is how we interact with each other in our social circles that either provides growth or becomes a barrier to further interactions and bonding.

This week let’s talk about what is important to those close to us that are Whitened.

Five things that a Whitened person is grateful for when we all come to the table:

Enrolling everyone that is in our social circles
Spontaneity is key
Anticipate each other’s needs and show up with fun surprises that matter
Laughter and light-hearted interactions
Flexibility and curiosity to just see where things will take you

If we take a few minutes to make sure these things are considered when entertaining our Whitened loved ones, it will insure a better interaction and a deeper bond.

Happy holidays and remember:

Everyone is a masterpiece.

Brook

11.6.18 Thanksgiving: Who’s Coming to Dinner?

What Does a Saturated Person Need When We Come to the Table?

Posted on November 5, 2019May 30, 2023 by Brook Thornley

In the month of November, the holiday seasons have begun. As we think of all of the festivities that are ahead, the first thing we imagine is the gang all coming together around the table on Thanksgiving Day. It can elicit warm memories just thinking about it.

Thanksgiving Day is not the only time in the holiday season we will be seeing our friends and loved ones. It seems like endless engagements, parties, and activities fill our calendars through the end of the year. In light of that, it is a good idea to brush up on the things that are important to those we are entertaining and those we will be spending a lot of time with this holiday season.

Let’s start this week with what is important to those that are close to us that are Saturated.

Five things that a Saturated person is grateful for when we all come to the table:

Quality in any event or preparation
A little space here and there, especially between events
Simple interactions
Sitting quietly with those they love
Clear directions as to what will take place

If we take the few minutes to make sure these things are considered when entertaining our Saturated loved ones, it will insure a better interaction and a deeper bond.

Happy Holidays and remember:

Everyone is a Masterpiece.

Brook

11.18.19 What Does a Grayed Person Need When We Come to the Table

11.6.18 Thanksgiving: Who’s Coming to Dinner?

Let There Be Peace on Earth and Let it Begin With Me

Posted on December 24, 2018May 30, 2023 by Brook Thornley

Merry Christmas from all of us at Human Art!

Each week of this December we have been highlighting a different Christmas song. It has brought an added measure of the Christmas spirit around here. Because we picked a song to focus on each week, it created an environment where the words of the song were on all our minds as we went about our work week. More importantly, we found ourselves talking about the songs with each other. These were not planned conversations, they just happened here and there, spontaneous exchanges of what each person saw in the meaning or words of the song we had selected.

This week was no exception, but for me the words rang quietly yet still powerfully in my mind leading up to Christmas day. “Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me.” Such a beautiful song. A wish of sorts, “Peace on earth.” We would all love that but it’s really such a big order. How could one person like me even begin to contribute to an overall effect of “Peace on earth”? Some days I would wonder if it was just a cliché, other days I would really have a desire to make a difference—but how? Then I thought about the rest of the phrase “and let it begin with me.” Could I really, as one person, make a difference when it came to peace on earth? Could it really begin with me or you?

I know that I have definitely tried. I seriously have no idea how much of a difference I have made as I travel around spreading the message of Human Art. I do not know if I have changed the life one person, many, or possibly none, but I know that it has changed mine. The people that I have met. The conversations that I have experienced, and the friends that are important to me have brought so much happiness into my life and I think in a small way that is a form of peace. It is from my point of view.

Anytime a conversation or interaction that is good or kind is taking place instead of something negative, I think that is a form of peace. I believe it has the potential to change the earth. Maybe not in a large way, but in a small space where that exchange is taking place at that moment. A mother that is calm instead of caught up in the stress of the season. Maybe someone at work that stops to listen instead of trying to get out the door quickly. How about a person in a long line being patient instead of aggravated at the length of the line and the time it is taking. Just being kind and serving however you can. Most importantly, just celebrating each person’s design or personality instead of fighting to be right.

Maybe that is what the song is singing out, maybe it is not one big act to create peace on earth but millions of little ones in tiny spaces. Maybe that is the very form of peace that it is referring to. What if that was the call to action? The notes seem to pause and beg for it and the words tell us what to do.

It’s Christmas: open presents, eat Christmas dinners, be with your family and friends, but where ever you are when you read this, pause in that space and create a little of that kind of peace, peace on earth… and let it begin with you. It will be worth it because everyone deserves peace, and everyone is a masterpiece.

Brook