Tuesday's Thought

Who Are We Being in Our Doing?

This week’s thought begins with a question offered by my guest, Janet Ettele: Who are we being in our doing?

It’s a simple line — and like so many simple things, it carries depth.

We often hear the saying we’re not human doings, we’re human beings, but Janet’s phrasing brings a deeper invitation: to notice the quality of being that sits inside our actions.

Janet is a musician, an author, and a long-time student of Buddhist teachings. In our conversation we spoke about the Celtic idea of thin places — those points in life or landscape where the veil between the seen and unseen feels almost transparent.

We also touched on the courage to continue, the practice of rest, and that luminous question: Who are we being in our doing?

After the episode went live, Janet messaged me to say that she could feel our exchange as one that was, in her words, “perhaps a conversation from a thin place… maybe even transcendent.” I thought that was beautiful — and it felt deeply true.

So, three reflections have been with me since then.

1. The thin place

My first reflection is that, yes, I think Janet and I did enter a thin place, as we spoke.

For me, this is the space where the deepest conversations and inner reflections reside — when the walls between ourselves and our outer world (and perhaps between us and the divine) grow thinner, and we can see and feel life more acutely.

Being in a thin place can feel vulnerable. It can also be illuminating, empowering, and exhausting. This is where discernment matters: knowing when, where, and with whom we allow ourselves to enter that depth.

Just as I’m discerning about who I invite into the podcast space, we can each be discerning about who we invite into our own thin places. Sometimes, when we’re first doing deep inner work, it’s just ourselves and perhaps a trusted guide or therapist.

Sometimes, when it feels safe, we allow a conversation to dip and rise naturally — in and out of those thin spaces of truth and presence.

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2. The timing of rediscovery

My second reflection is around timing — and the curiosity of rediscovering this recording when I did.

It’s a conversation I thought I’d lost in the digital ether. I’d tried everything to retrieve it and, for a while, accepted that it had simply gone. Then, listening back to it I was deeply mindful that Janet mentioned  Jane Goodall had connected with her about the teachings within her book.

Listening back now, hearing her mention Jane — who has recently departed this physical plane — brought a quiet moment of awe.

It helped me reflect that they say ‘all things happen in their own perfect time’ - perhaps it’s as much about giving things enough air (without clinging, striving or demanding), so they can see their way.

I don’t know if there’s any more meaning in it than that, but it reminded me how life sometimes folds back on itself and how something long mislaid can resurface at precisely the right time.

3. The power of perseverance

My third reflection is on perseverance — and the importance of not letting old patterns of shame interfere with what we are drawn to attend to.

Janet spoke about the Buddhist teaching: when you choose to begin, keep going. The path may change, the destination may shift, but the invitation is to keep trusting your journey.

This teaching met me very personally.

Losing the recording stirred embarrassment and guilt — a small flare of that old inner voice whispering you should have done better. It would have been easier to apologise and move on, or simply to hide. But something in me chose to stay open, to keep trying, to believe I’d find it. And eventually, I did.

It was a small act of perseverance — nothing dramatic — but those small acts are what build our capacity for those times when we may need to dig a little deeper within us.

This reflection closes with an offering:

How could you beautifully acknowledge a time when you’ve seen yourself persevere — however small it might seem now?

If you haven’t yet listened to my conversation with Janet, you can find it wherever you get your podcasts. Just search for the Henny Flynn podcast, or click the image below.

And if you’d like a regular space to pause and reconnect, A piece of quiet offers a short weekly guided reflection and Flow Journaling prompt to help you come home to yourself.

With love,
Henny