I’ve heard it said that you never have time for the things you don’t want to do. Someone mentioned to me that when they retired, they had a list of things they were going to do (or do more of) when they retired.
And suddenly when they had the time, they still didn’t find time to do them.
I have a confession to make. In the past, I’ve been really hard on myself. Expected more of myself than anyone can actually do. And then I’d collapse in exhaustion. It’s happened at least a few times in my life.
To the point where I’ve made myself sick.
It was February, 2012. My boss had been laid off a few months earlier, and we had a new manager. He decided to make sweeping changes to the organization. The effect on me and my team was this: my team was split up between two of my peers, and I was given a newly-created role – Strategic Planning and Process Design.
It sounded like a job title they give someone who they don’t know what to do with and are trying to find a way to get them to leave.
Have you ever wished you could make a living being creative? Maybe you even tried it? Painting, drama, music, writing, or performance art. Or maybe you're not quite an artist, but still yearn to live a creative life – and even get paid for it.
Is it possible?
The other day I went walking in Gay City State Park, not too far from where I live. I took a trail that I have often walked. It starts at a pond, and then cuts into the woods and crosses several streams. One in particular has a wooden bridge across it, complete with a railing so you don’t fall in.
I stepped to the middle of the bridge and stopped.
When I was a kid, we used to buy pre-made bread dough. It came in a tube that you popped open by hitting the edge on the counter (at least that’s how we did it). Then you twisted it to open all the way, pulled the dough out, and baked. Only a few minutes later you had crescent rolls, biscuits, or cinnamon buns.
Were they the best ever? No. Were they easy? Yes. And tons of people bought them.
When we encounter a problem, it’s easy to see people with a different opinion as the opposition. We even use words like “across the aisle” or “sitting across the desk”, as if that space is a wide gulf that can’t be breached.
We end up talking over the problem and at each other. It can quickly turn antagonistic.
Is there something you always wished you could do? When I was kid, I wanted to fly. Not an airplane. Actually fly. Like Mary Poppins or Superman. I tried taking my umbrella outside in the wind and leaping off the neighbor’s embankment. I even convinced some other kids to try it with me.
But no matter how windy it was, and no matter how hard we tried, we were never able to fly.
Did you ever see those ads for learning how to draw? They show an exquisite and detailed drawing of a woman, and say you can learn to draw like that. The drawing captures not only the woman’s beauty, but also her personality. Her style. Her essence.
Meanwhile, your drawings look like stick figures.
This week in the United States we celebrate Thanksgiving Day. The purity and simplicity of this holiday is quite profound – set aside time to give thanks for all we have.
Yet in the midst of meal preparations, football and parades, the simplicity of Thanksgiving is often lost. Not only that, but the very act of giving thanks can sometimes feel trite, or rote.
