Eric was driving around aimlessly trying to shake off his anxiety. It was April 2020 the quarantine hunker-down mandate was in effect. Eric was restless and lonely. He drove through (what seemed like the ghost town) of Orient Ohio. His discomfort was rising, he was going through an internal hell and could find no place or person to ease his pain.
Then he saw a giant lifesize geometry shape made out of pool noodles…
It was outside a curious shop in a small strip mall on the side of the road. He welcomed the distraction and pulled into the parking lot.
Sam, the owner of the shop was inside passionately upcycling trash into treasure.
Eric entered the shop and saw an incredible selection of shapes crafted out of cereal boxes, baseball cards, expired marketing mailers, and all sorts of other materials. He saw bookshelves stocked with interesting books about nature, mathematics, and alchemy. Games, Rubix cubes, crafting tables, and a living room area with comfy couches and armchairs.
Sam welcomed the young man and gave him a tour and an impromptu geometry lesson…
She spoke to him of Plato and the ancient mathematical archetypes known as the Platonic solids. She pointed out how nature’s narratives of balance, harmony, and wholeness can be seen and felt in the shapes she creates out of recycled materials.
Geometry shows us nature’s design and life-giving laws. These shapes represent the invisible pathways, patterns, and processes that perpetuate the harmony of the natural world. That is why we are so drawn in and comforted by them.
Before the young man left he confessed that he had been driving around feeling very anxious, disconnected, and lonely. But now he felt immensely better, calm even.
Sam’s shop/community center was still in the beginning stages of its development. It wasn’t even technically open. But she was there doing her work for the day, following her delight and she was willing to give what she had to offer at that particularly messy point in her process. And it turned out to be exactly what Eric needed at that moment.
Eric is one of many who have stumbled into Sam’s space she calls the Hedron Hub and had a unique and comforting experience.
“This is why I opened this place,” Sam says, with a flutter in her voice as she recounts the story to me over the phone.
“I am haunted by the future of what this place could be. I am building the Hedron Hub to promote harmony and effect environmental change via recycling/zero waste solutions and ZEN and STEM activities.”
There are so many lessons to be gained from this story.
To me, one of the most striking lessons is:
Don’t wait for “perfect.” Do what you can now.
When you do what you can with what you have it’s like opening all your windows and doors on a fresh spring day and letting the vital energy of new beginnings, creative connections, and necessary experiences surround you.
When you give generously of whatever you have at the moment to offer—your unique attitude, service, or offering attracts exactly those who need it and can help it grow.
Especially when you feel bored, stuck, or trapped, doing anything that utilizes and accentuates your resources and developments in a generous way—big or small—brings so much fresh energy into your life.
Share what you have… even if your hair’s a mess, even if your “offering” is yet what you hope it will be, even if your process isn’t perfect yet,
Someone may need it NOW. In exactly the form or stage it is in.
And who knows where it might lead or who it may lead you to?
~ Kenzie
Ps. For many people, “giving” feels pretty natural and easy. But “asking” and “receiving” can seem more difficult. This will help.
Pps. Interested in helping Sam start a recycling revolution? Here are some ways you can help.
Kenzie’s Desk 