Mr. D replied, “I’m learning about recess, the lunchroom, art, and music.”
I know you are laughing alongside me as you read this.
Learning his way around the school, including the specialist classes (art and music), has been a huge part of the first three weeks. I can’t imagine how many neurons are firing just to create a mind map of this new experience.
But as you’re smiling, consider this. Aren’t recess, the lunchroom, art and music still a big part of your days today?
(featured photo is Mr. D’s line heading in to class on the first day of school)
“Learn the rules like a pro so you can break them like an artist.” – Pablo Picasso
This weekend I played a lot of Legos with my kids. Mr. D was building a house, finding any square or rectangular pieces and putting them together.
I was following an instruction booklet to build a teddy bear. I spent most of my time looking through the 800 pieces for pieces the size of my pinky fingernail that were the right size, shape and color to match the instructions.
It struck me that life in general, and creativity specifically, is a lot like building Legos. We start out life creating off the cuff – listening to our gut, stacking and combining from what’s available. It’s intuitive and faster but it’s not long before we are told there are norms and expectations we are supposed to be adhering to.
Then we discover the instruction booklet and shift into making the prescribed things. In this mode, we make things that cutely and appropriately match other people’s expectations and instructions. But it takes a lot longer to find exactly the right pieces and we have to guard the pieces we find really carefully lest someone else takes the only one that will fit the specifications.
Once I was done building my teddy bear, I discovered a third way. I started building a structure with some of the remnants of our past creations. It built on both the structured and unstructured components. I went back to working like Mr. D and listening to my gut.
Seems like this is a great place to get to in creation and in life – where we can still be mindful of others, incorporating what has already been built, but leave the instructions behind.
“Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple.” – Dr. Seuss
This post was originally published on 8/23/2023. Heads up – you may have already read this.
I was sitting at my kitchen table working yesterday afternoon, trying to tie up the last few items before closing my laptop and going to get my kids when the doorbell rang. It was the <ding-dong><ding-dong><ding-dong> of repeated bell pushes used most frequently by the 7-years-old and under set.
So I wasn’t surprised to find the 6-year-old twins from four doors down the street hanging out on my porch. “We’ve come to see the puppy!” they announced in unison. Maybe a twin thing although these aren’t identical and I’m not sure if the twinning mind meld thing happens with all twins or if this was a fluke. But it was convincing enough that I held the door open wide to let them in, and we walked out to the yard.
I introduced them to the puppy and said, “I have to get back to work.” The more talkative one, Twin 1, said, “Okay, we’ll stay out here and play.”
And then the quieter one, Twin 2 said, “But do you have scissors to cut this tag off?” Pulling out a dog toy from her side.
Twin 1 interjected, “That toy is for our puppy!” And Twin 2 replied, “But Mom handed it to me on our way out.”
I said, “I have to get back to work.”
They said, “Okay.”
After a few minutes, they came in from the yard to where I was working and thought to ask, “Where are your kids?” I replied that they were at camp and school. Twin 2 said, “I’m hungry.”
I said, “Oh, I’m sorry. I have to get back to work and can’t make a snack right now but if you come back…”
Twin 2 said with a smile, “No problem, I can get the snack myself.”
Twin 1 said, “Where’s the cat?” I explained she was probably in my bedroom because she’s upset about the puppy. Twin 1 said, “Oh, I know where that is, I can go on my own” and left the room.
I felt myself shrugging my shoulders and smiling at this random interruption when I heard rustling noises from my pantry. Twin 2 reappeared with her cheeks full of food, and said, “You have good nuts.”
I said “thank you” and was still chuckling when the twins older sister appeared at the door and took them home.
No point to this – I just was thinking that maybe Dr. Seuss worked from home.
Where have you gotten your inspiration to write today? Any twins show up on your porch lately?
“Imagine life is a game in which you are juggling five balls. The balls are called work, family, health, friends, and integrity. And you’re keeping all of them in the air. But one day you finally come to understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. The other four balls…are made of glass. If you drop one of these, it will be irrevocably scuffed, nicked, perhaps even shattered.” – James Patterson
There’s a young man in our neighborhood that’s learning to juggle. In fact, he’s the same young man who does magic tricks that I’ve written about.
Now that he’s 12, he’s started hiring himself out for birthday parties. He really does a great job with the patter and the magic. He’s such a delightful, inquisitive, and polite young man that it’s impossible not to root for him.
When it comes to juggling, he gets it done. But not exactly with the flawless execution of someone in a circus show. It’s more like a suspense act where you worry for every ball.
Funny thing is that is how I’m feeling in this first week of September. I’ve got the home projects to stain and seal before the rain comes, the fall clothes shopping, the million and one forms to fill out for back to school, and a family wedding. And work and the class I’m teaching next week? Well, let’s just say I’m keeping the balls in the air but everyone watching is probably a little worried about the show.
As September begins, we feel the summer’s intensity wane in the Northern Hemisphere. While I cherish summer, there’s a point where the expectations for endless outdoor fun with my family become overwhelming.
Vicki and I discuss transitioning from the carefree days of summer to the structured school year. Whether you’re a parent, teacher, empty nester, or caregiver, we explore the opportunities that come with a fall reset.
From dedicating more time to writing and reflecting to tackling projects set aside for vacations or house guests, we can embrace the seasonal shift.
Vicki shares insights from a nutritionist and the Surgeon General, offering food for thought on eating earlier and acknowledging our burdens.
These are all great ideas for recognizing the benefits of resetting with the change of seasons. So, let’s put on our cozy sweaters, don our creative thinking caps, and enjoy the fall.
I’m confident you’ll love the scenic and beautiful places we explore as we share the power of storytelling.
Search (and subscribe!) for Sharing the Heart of the Matter on Apple, Amazon, Spotify or Pocket Casts OR Listen to it from your computer on Anchor: Episode 83: The Need to Nest with Vicki and Wynne
“Writing also makes you process memories in a different way. You have one idea and then remember another. It’s like each one is a cow in a field, and you have to round them all up.” – Michael J. Fox
“Habitual handwriting opens up space for generating good ideas, organising them on the page and constructing nuanced vocabulary choices.” – Dr. Hetty Roessingh, professor emerita University of Calgary
“Learn the rules like a pro so you can break them like an artist.” – Pablo Picasso
The other day I was with my five-year-old son, Mr. D, in a room of storage lockers. He was checking everything out and said, “Look at that wonder.”
I followed his gaze to a padlock that had a piece of tape with a question mark on it. My interpretation was that the owner of the lock was unknown. But I liked Mr. D’s better – just look at that wonder.
I get so much inspiration from my kids. They see things with new eyes and help me to peel away my assumptions that cover over so many things.
I love reading something that gets my creative juices going. But even better in the community of podcasting and blogging is catching a ride on everyone else’s enthusiasm!
In this episode, Dave Williams, tells us about the inspiration he gleaned from reading Felicia Day’s book, “Embrace Your Weird.”
Felicia’s book is more than a read, it’s an experience of exercises to break us out of our creative ruts. Dave shares his take on what inhibits our natural flow and some of the things that inspire him.
This is a great episode with the incredibly talented and creative Dave Williams. We get to draft off of his inspiration, Felicia Day’s book, and the flow of creative sparks.
I’m certain you’ll enjoy the scenic and inspiring places we go when we share the power of story.
“I love quotations because it is a joy to find thoughts one might have, beautifully expressed with much authority by someone recognized wiser than oneself. ” – Marlene Deitrich
This post was originally published on 8/30/2023. Heads up – you may have already seen this.
I think it’s safe to say that writing is the subject that I’ve studied longest. Sure, it started with just grasping the pencil with some dexterity and has developed through school essays, technical writing, and now to developing a personal angle with memoir writing, and blogging. But whatever the genre, it feels like an incredibly rich and vast subject of study.
So here are five of my favorite quotes about writing.
After a night where the performance was particularly magical, Laurence Olivier angrily stormed into his dressing room. Maggie Smith inquired after him, asking him “What’s the matter, Larry? It was brilliant.” Laurence replied, “I know. And I have absolutely no idea how I did it, and it’ll be gone tomorrow.”
Wow, that story speaks to me! About how I want to capture magic, to define it, and put it into a bottle. Also about the repetitive nature of life. Preparing a meal, writing a post, or having a moment with friends – there are so many things that I do repeatedly and when it goes well, want to know why. Laurence Olivier’s reply gets to the desire to capture it in a formula so that we know exactly how to do it again.
The elusive nature of life seems to ensure that there is no perfect replica. Even for someone with the talent of a great actor cannot control all the factors that go into a delivery. Yet we still strive for those wonderful moments when it all comes together.
If you’re anything like me, that striving actually takes away from the moment. Instead of savoring the now moment, when everything went wonderfully well, and being grateful, I start thinking of what I have to do next, or how things might go differently in the future.
Fortunately, I keep getting the chance to do it again. I’ve found that life requires us to repeat ourselves and then begs us to stay present for each show. I feel this most starkly when it comes to writing. Every time I sit down to write, it feels like breaking through my barrier of protectiveness and layers of my own BS to try to write something meaningful. Then I post something, for better or for worse, and then think, “I’ve got to do that again?”
Of course I do, because life isn’t static. I’ve found that writing rubs off that tarnish or moss that grows when I don’t do the work to show up authentically. For me, that’s where the magic happens. I can only imagine that something similar was at work for Laurence Olivier.
“The discipline of creation, be it to paint, compose, write, is an effort towards wholeness.” – Madeleine L’Engle
It’s captivating to watch all the different types of creativity at the beach. Unless someone has found a way to monetize sand castles, I believe what I’m watching is some of the unique ways people use their leisure time.
There are all sorts of way to unwind, aren’t there? Here on this beach in the Pacific Northwest, building forts and sand castles top the list.
Almost nine-year-old Miss O likes to create some version of a crab café every time we come to this beach. It’s got scalloped dishes, seaweed garnish and salt and pepper (sand) shakers made from crab claws.
Others have made beautiful and intricate forts out of driftwood. Some of these structures are so sturdy that they last for months and years between our visits.
Someone else makes driftwood sculptures. And our neighbor on this trip has made a sort of hanging sculpture from the wood on the beach.
When my friend, Katie, was here, she challenged the kids to come up with their own Beach Olympics. Would their event be Shell Shotput or Beach Balance Beam?
As I jot all this down, it reminds me that writing is another activity to add to the list. Not only am I writing this down for a post, but I can also imagine all the poetry, prose, and photography inspired by time away at this place.
I’m struck by how intertwined creativity is in what we do, even when unwinding. Maybe as the quote for this post from Madeleine L’Engle suggests, it’s all part of working towards wholeness.
“Words have magical power. They can bring either the greatest happiness or deepest despair.” – Sigmund Freud
Last Friday was Mr. D’s last day at his pre-school/daycare. He’s been there for nearly four years. In three different classrooms with so many great teachers, this school has been such a wonderful influence.
When I went to write the amazing staff a thank you note, I did so through a veil of tears. When I was done, it felt like a piece of writing as worthy as anything else I’ve composed because:
It was from my heart
I provided others with a perspective on their impact that would be hard for them to know otherwise
The feelings it elicited were worth rippling out in the world
Here’s the note:
This morning before [Mr. D] left for school, he took his plate to the sink, washed his hands after going to the bathroom, and used his words when he wanted to play with something his sister had. Those three skills are just some of the wonderful building blocks that he learned in his time at GLPCC.
I know it’s hard to measure the positive impact that you have on one child or one family’s life. Just as a stream doesn’t count the rocks it touches as it flows, the kindnesses and fundamentals you all bestow with your patience, creativity, and caring make such a difference.
I get choked up thinking about all the ways your consistency and hard work have made my life better during the years D has been at GLPCC. From the pandemic to surviving the hard drop off days, I have been able to navigate life and work because I was absolutely certain D was in good, kind and loving hands.
So I send you all immense gratitude for the amazing work that you do. And if there is any day that feels tough – think about what our world would look like if everyone took their dishes to the sink, washed their hands, and used their words when they wanted something. It would be amazing. You all are building a better world.
Have you written something simple that turned into a worthwhile project?
Surprised By Joy 