The host reflects from his car on how the question How are you? is shaped by culture and habit and shares Cadre’s 17-word ritual for shared space. He introduces the contemplative thin space between states and invites honoring the present.
The host opens from his car, welcomes the Cadre community, and asks viewers how they are while describing his Sunday routine. This establishes the informal, conversational tone for the video.
The speaker examines how the simple question 'How are you?' is shaped by cultural norms and language, and how people often respond by default. He illustrates how greetings can be automatic and sometimes silence or confusion follows.
The host explains Cadre's philosophy that there are many paths to wellness and shares a 17-word ritual ('I'm glad I'm here. I'm glad you're here. I know what I know and I care about you') as a guiding practice for shared space.
He introduces the concept of the thin space—used by Franciscans and contemplatives—to describe the liminal space between states (past/future, day/night, beginnings/ends). This establishes the main topic of the session.
The speaker argues we rarely inhabit the present, recounting the 'troll by the bridge' admonition to answer three questions and using personal examples of rehearsals and schedules. He emphasizes that although we're always in the thin space, we don't consciously find it.
The host urges viewers to honor the moment they're in, notes that one's current experience is the only valid answer to 'How are you?', ties this to other Cadre topics (enoughness, followership), and closes by inviting listeners to 'wrap' themselves in the community's support.
Hey hey Cadre, how are we doing today? back-to-back days. For Cadre today in the Mazda. Yeah, I'm back in my car again today. It's Sunday morning. I'm on my way to work and I always stop in a gas station parking lot 00 AM Central Standard Time to go ahead and spend some time with you. How are you? How does it feel to be asked that question? How does it feel to try to muster up an answer to a question like how are you when the world doesn't tell you what factors you're supposed to use to make that up?
Hey, Alana. Hey, Rick. Nice to see y'all. Yeah, the question, how are you? Like every question is one that we have to answer within our own cultural linguistic context. Cultural, what's the world that we live in? Linguistic, what words do we use to communicate within that system? In context, what's going on right now? So Alana and Rick, I notice you both use exclamation points on your good morning greetings. And that tells me that some part of you is in a space of upward trajectory. that there is some light, that maybe there's some positivity.
Maybe it's from a space of of like full tank or empty tank. We can go ahead and exclaim when we're tired and exhausted or when we're full of energy and feeling, feeling ready for a long haul. But again, even even asking a question like, how are you? It causes a lot of people to pause and that little voice inside may go, I don't know how to answer that question. And really what they're saying is, I assume that there is a right way to answer the question, and I think everybody else knows what that is, but I don't.
Alana says, Or it's cultural and we're simply encouraged to use them. And that's, I was not going to go there unless you did, my friend, right? How often around this planet do other cultures and societies when maybe someone from the West goes, Hey, how are you? Do they go, Do you really want to know? because they assume that the question is being asked from a place of greeting. How are you? I'm good. How are you? I'm good. Okay, see you later. I think one of the cool things we're doing in the Cadre Sphere is we are being that constant reminder, as I like to say, that positive friction on each of you, on each of us, that our pathway is unique.
There's not one pathway to being well. I think that's why Cadre is working. We are showing the world that there are many ways to be well. So I start every cadre today by saying this. I'm glad I'm here. I'm glad you're here. I know what I know and I care about you. Those 17 words. That's the formula. People acknowledging that there's benefit to sharing space with one another. I'm glad I'm here. I'm glad you're here. risking to think that our experience, our knowledge, our energy in this world has value.
I know what I know. And that when we risk to go ahead and see that we're not meant to be alone in this journey, I care about you, really cool conversations can exist. So on Sundays, I invite the idea of thin space. in the cadre today. Thin space is a practice used by Franciscans, monks and nuns to kind of place themselves in prime real estate to think, to pray, to feel, to consider, to write, to do all the things. The thin space is the space in between. in between what has been and what will be, between the good and the bad, between day and night, between beginnings and ends.
So often we don't find that space. And at the same time, now I'm going to sound like the troll by the bridge, you have to answer three questions. We don't find the space Hey, Maria! Yes, we are Twins in the car today. And I got really excited because as a Minnesota Twins fan, the Twins have won 13 straight games. So I saw Twins and I was like, Oh my gosh, you're going to the Twins game today in Milwaukee. Okay. But back to me sounding like the troll by the bridge, we often never find the thin space, yet we're always in it.
You must answer three questions. Think about it. We don't find the present moment. We find yesterday. We find tomorrow. We find what's next on the schedule. 05. In 25 minutes, I have to be at the piano bench ready to go and start rehearsal. And then I have a script reading for a new play that's being written that I'm music directing. And then I need to go and get ready for Monday and yada yada. And at the same time, I'm thinking about yesterday and I'm thinking about the conflicts and the moments of the curveballs when I got punched in the gut and the things and like, what's going on?
I'm back there and I'm up there, even though I'm actually only right here. The thin space is a space that we very rarely find, yet we're always in. And so even if you're still here right now, if you've pulled up this video later in the day, good afternoon, later good morning, hope you're doing well, or Maria, Jules, Rick, Alana, everybody else who's jumped in this morning, if you're still here, I hope you're being in the moment that you're in and honoring what it offers. It's really good for you to do that.
It's really good for you to be where you are. Why? Because back to the question, how are you? The answer to that question exists now. It doesn't exist yesterday, it doesn't exist tomorrow. It doesn't exist when things get better, when things get harder. If you're doing great, that exists if you're around people who are sad or mourning. If you are struggling or sad or mourning, but it seems like everybody else is doing great, you're still sad and mourning. Being in the moment that you are is the moment you're in.
Deal with it. Deal with the fact that you have some power, some potency right now. That's what we talk about on Saturdays with enoughness. Acknowledge that you have power and potency in other people's lives. That's the outward facing clique. That's what we talk about on Tuesdays. Acknowledge that there are things around you that are guiding you and leading you somewhere. That's bold followership. That's what we talk about on Mondays. And then of course on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays we talk about things too.
But I hope you start seeing that even if you only come to my live streams, these things connect together. And then you weave other people's threads into your tapestry and you create this beautiful blanket to wrap yourself in in the moment that you're in. So how are you? Wrap yourself within your cadre blanket. and answer the question no exclamation points needed Alana unless they're there Maria I'm glad you're in the car Rick I'm glad you tuned in this morning Jules I hope the sun is shining up north wherever you are whatever's going on have a good one
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