Growing to Enjoy Tomatoes

This has been a long time coming.

I’ve had much fear about making my writing public. Although I’ve posted plenty of excerpts on social media, this feels huge to me. On social media, I can control the span of time it is posted and even who views it.

But by doing this, committing to inviting others into my brain through typed words and then posting it publicly online feels scary. Very scary.

I am not fully certain why releasing this first writing feels so weighty.

Maybe it’s because I have an inflated view of self or a small view of self, or somewhere between the two.

But either way, here we are, and I am also sort of giddy knowing it’s going to be in others’ inboxes Friday morning of this week.

If you are here. Thanks for reading.

Why We Are Here

I believe much life is found in writing and inviting others into our stories.

Your story, my story, our story.

It's as if we were intentionally designed to be with and be be'd with.

In the being with and being be'd with - we often find those inflated or small views of ourselves are rightsized. Slowly allowing us to turn outward toward others - which seems to be a really filling way to live.

It's crazy what the story in our head has the ability to convince us of.

Regardless of where the thought of sharing my writing falls today, I want to consistently share my life with others through writing.

The purpose of this blog is to invite you into lessons learned from being with people. Past, present, and future - we learn a lot from and learn a lot with.

I hope this consistent Friday writing in your inbox inspires us to continue in the practice of being with people - because I believe there is much to learn.

Invitation Into a Bigger Story

I specifically use invitational language because you too, are a part of this story. The bigger story of humanity. I want you to be a part. I am really glad you are a part. As a matter of fact, I will end most of these with a couple of open-ended questions and or invitations to respond. In hopes of reminding you that you are apart. Please feel free to respond to anything you read here today. I'd love to hear what these writings bring up in you.

Little or small - I'm inviting you into it all.

…..hehehe, language is absolutely beautiful

and story is powerful.

I am discovering that people are woven into its fabric from birth. At times, many of us, myself included, can lose sight of this gift somewhere along the way - for many good reasons.

But nevertheless, I’ve come to believe that people, exactly as they are in our story, are a gift.

This doesn’t make the act of being with and being be’d with easy. But a practice worthy of pursuit.

In her book “Bird By Bird,” my friend Anne says it plain and simple

Through this medium, I want to walk and talk with you. Really, explore the gift of being with people.

Thanks again for being here.

Seeing that this one is the kicking off of this thing, I figured I'd come in, palms wide open, and share an overview of who, where, and how I am.

Invitation Into My Story

My name is Newsom Tyler Head.​ You can call me whatever you'd like.

Growing up, I did not want to go by Newsom for many reasons, but this has since subsided, similar to my disposition toward tomatoes. Actually, I had tomatoes the other night on a boujee pizza - not just in the sauce either; for you snarky rapscallions (like myself), there were sun-dried tomatoes as a topping.

I've been entrepreneurial and adventurous for some time now.

Elementary/Middle School: recruiting friends in the neighborhood to draft blueprints of forts in the dirt. Then scouring the neighborhood in hopes of finding materials for a fort. Which would later be christened the Gold Coin Gang Hideout.

Gold Coin Circle was the name of the culdesac we ran.

Late Teens: unloading frozen hams and turkeys in the wee hours of the morning to make extra cash so I could drive across the country with some buddies.

Early Twenties: saying yes to a stranger; who rolled down their window as they drove by asking me and a buddy if we were a licensed business. Thus, spending the whole next week riding around in a smart car like mad men trying to figure out what it even means to be a licensed business.

Also... Early Twenties: Asking my wife to move across the country to a place neither of us had ever been. For a job, I'd first heard about from a friend I met in Santiago, Chile.

I went to Santiago, Chile, to find Patagonia (It’s so much more than a brand). Absolutely stunning if you’ve never looked it up.

Furthermore, I left the job shortly after arriving, but we are still here where the job took us, and she's my best friend.

All this to share with you, my life is unfolding before my eyes, and I am inviting you into that, but more so than my life, I am inviting you into yours.

Ours.

Our shared story as human beings.

To rediscover curiosity or be encouraged to explore it more. To press into your story and press into the story of others. To ask the wild questions of yourself and those around you. Then, to sit with them long enough that something comes to mind.

Maybe even share it.

Alongside Others

Adventure has lured me to live life since I can remember. From adolescence to entrepreneurship.

In the midst of all of that, doing it, whatever it was, alongside others has been my favorite way to spend time, energy, and resources.

PSA: Don't google the term entrepreneur; it feels wildly inaccurate. We need to come up with a better word and or redefine it. Or both.

Maybe social entrepreneur is more accurate in what I am trying to say. Either way, let's keep walking.

Below are a couple of key pieces that I have found to be reoccurring so far;

• Time is the most valuable asset we have. Having autonomy over my time and how I spend it is a gift but also brings a whole new world of challenges.

• Collaborative work with people is inspiring and life-giving; for both those involved and the end product.

• Ideas need time, space, and consistent attention to become great. And they more or less change dramatically in that process.

• Money is an excellent tool, as are pencils, paper, and computers. Not one above the other.

• Business is an incredible vehicle for impact. For all parties involved.

• Curiosity did not kill the cat. I believe it's why they have nine lives. ha

Out of all those, I want to point out two key ingredients that have brought me to where I am today.

Ideas.

I love ideas. Gnawing on them like a dog on a bone. Wondering what could be. Pontificating on what should be.

People.

More than ideas, I like people. I actually freaking love people. We are just so dang cool.

Ideas and people.

With a stroke of wild luck, a lot of heads and hearts, the opportunity to grow them with people presents itself.

And I truly believe that the world changes for the better with a mixture of people, ideas, and time.

Maybe, that’s why we are here. What this is all about. Being With People.

More on all of this in the Fridays to come.

Your Turn

I'll leave you with my favorite Haiku from the week and a couple of questions to gnaw on:

_{It has been a while}

_{Draw in a deep and slow breath}

_{It may be a while}

Some brief context on this Haiku. I am practicing this; to breathe deep rather than huffing and puffing when things I cannot control come my way (which is often). This Haiku was borne out of exactly that. On Tuesday morning of this week.

Here are a couple of fun questions to kick back and chew on over the weekend. Maybe, you could even invite others over for a beverage or some tomatoes. Have the tomatoes any way you like and chew on these questions.

What are some ideas that you’ve had in the past? What came of them? Why?

What are some ideas you have now?

Are there any still looming from the first question?

If you had a magic wand and waved it - what do you imagine could come of these ideas?

If this causes you to pause and think…… take a moment and write it down. Or type it. Either way works.

Maybe let it simmer a bit, then write it down. Getting it out is really cool.

Whatever you decide to do, feel free to share it - I'll read it.

Or burn it? That's fun, too - but only if you wrote it on paper.

Don't burn your computer…. or your typewriter.

Thanks for being here; talk again soon!

Thanks for being you.