post-it quote: tightly tied as they are

Following a calling is like walking a tightrope — exacting, courageous and exhilarating all at once. And then there’s the fear of falling, one misstep that sends you tumbling or the loss of balance that keeps you from moving forward. To onlookers it may look effortless, like a dance in the clouds. But in reality it requires more focus and demands more sacrifice than you ever thought possible when first signing up. And though others may cheer you on, you are essentially alone out there, just you and the wire. You learn to trust it and to trust yourself that way.

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I’ve taken to the habit of reading various versions of the scripture I’m meditating on at the moment. I find that different combinations of words and word pictures help to open it up deeper and give me new visuals or ideas. When I read Colossians 1 in The Message, this verse popped out at me:

The lines of purpose in your lives never grow slack, tightly tied as they are to your future in heaven, kept taught by hope. (vs 5)

I closed my eyes and waited for the right image to come and show me what this looks like. I saw a tightrope walker skillfully walking forward, with utmost concentration, in the purpose that only God can speak into our lives. This purpose moves us heavenward toward what we were meant to be and what we are in the perfect, loving and imaginative eye of God. The rope is held in the perfect tension, allowing us to walk forward, allowing us to trust the next step.

What we fear most is that the lines of purpose will grow slack, or that they aren’t there at all. To many of us they seem invisible, and we keep toeing around to feel for the next step but are never quite sure if we’re to take it or if we’ll tumble down into the abyss.

I imagine an important part of tight-rope-walking is to use all the senses — to know where to keep your vision focused, to feel the way the breeze is moving and to hear the stillness and perhaps drown out the distracting noise. There’s also that sixth sense, that feel that we all have for the purpose we’re made to pursue, the one that helps us just know. We need to learn to use this or we’ll be frozen in fear on a fine wire over the rushing waters of Niagra Falls.

P.S. I watched Man On Wire a few months ago, maybe it’s time to view it again?

P.P.S. The first man to tight rope over Niagra Falls.

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Post-it quotes is a series. Each post features a new quote that's made it's way to a post-it note on my computer at work, combining two of my loves -- wise words and post-it notes -- with my desire to stay focused and develop excellence at my work and craft.

post-it quotes: the primary benefit

"The primary benefit of practicing any art, whether well or badly, is that it enables one's soul to grow." - Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. (I forget where I found this one...)

I know a lot of people say that life is about the journey, but I am a results kind of gal. Give me a Saturday and I'll make a list of errands and chores to check off -- and if I'm not careful, the checking off will be one of the most enjoyable part of my day.

This is one reason why practicing creativity is good for me. Though I still love to get to a finished product, creating is so engaging that I usually experience something good from the process. Eating is fun, but so it chopping vegetables and maneuvering through a new recipe. I'm experimenting with water color, and while my results aren't museum-worthy, there are so many ways to play with the paint and paper that I can sometimes get over the crappy results. (Sometimes.)

My results-orientation can take hold and give me a good shake at work, accusing me, "who are you if they don't end up using the proposal or your copy is revised into something completely different or ... " Certainly not a writer, is the implication. Legitimate writing is required if I'm call myself a writer with any credibility. At work, being creative and playing with words can be overlooked or even become a chore unless I choose to remember this wise advice -- that the real reason I write or do anything creative is to grow.

Here's a quick list of ways I know I grow through creating:

• I grow to be more like my Creator.
• I grow in courage when I face an empty page and attempt to fill it. (Check out this recent post by my friend on this subject.)
• I grow louder in voice as I learn to express my unique perspective and my stories.
• I grow in self-awareness and in my understanding of the world around me when I describe what I see and feel.
• I grow in love for people around me when I express my feelings for them through creating for them.

What are your blocks to creating, "whether well or badly"? How do you see yourself growing when you move past these blocks? I'd love to hear!

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Post-it quotes is a series. Each post features a new quote that's made it's way to a post-it note on my computer at work, combining two of my loves -- wise words and post-it notes -- with my desire to stay focused and develop excellence at my work and craft.

post-it quotes: when i work

"A great free joy surges through me when I work..." -Clyfford Stills, American painter

At the MOCA a few weeks ago (my first time), I found myself enamored with not only the permanent installation but also the accompanying artist quotes. This one by Clyfford Stills rang true. When we work in the purest sense of the word, we feel a joy so deep that even the simple, expansive words "great" and "free" don't quite do it justice. But I get where he was going.

It reminds me of the famous quote from the main character of Chariots of Fire, an Olympic runner: "And when I run I feel His pleasure." Perhaps this joy is not just something that wells up from our own hearts, but is actually the pleasure of the Creator, because we are doing the very thing He created us to do.

This kind of work is what I'm after -- God-pleasing, joy- and pleasure-filled creative work. And I'm not reserving it for a bohemian gathering of friends with scarves and glasses and coffee or some novel-writing-induced nirvana. I think it's possible at my nine-to-five.

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Post-it quotes is a new series. Each week I'll feature a new quote that's made it's way to a post-it note on my computer at work, combining two of my loves -- wise words and post-it notes -- with my desire to stay focused and develop excellence at my work and craft.

post it quotes: the first draft

I read The Old Man and the Sea in ninth grade. I clearly remember sitting in the school cafeteria during study hall wondering why I was reading about a man going fishing. I didn't get it. My mind wandered -- probably to what mascara to buy or when I would next see George, my crush. (My appreciation for literature came late, folks. I blame that on the Babysitter's Club series.)

Still, it's a relief to know that even Hemingway had shitty first drafts.

And remembering that it's shit helps me be a little less defensive/hurt/hopeless when that first draft comes back all marked up. It means practicing being a learner, receiving critique as a gift, and working hard. Good things, all.

Next on my to-read list: Hemingway. Any favorites out there?

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Post-it quotes is a new series. Each week I'll feature a new quote that's made it's way to a post-it note on my computer at work, combining two of my loves -- wise words and post-it notes -- with my desire to stay focused and develop excellence at my work and craft.

post-it quotes: i need these reminders

Post-it quotes is a new series. Each week I'll feature a new quote that's made it's way to a post-it note on my computer at work, combining two of my loves -- wise words and post-it notes -- with my desire to stay focused and develop excellence at my work and craft.



"No one ever said it would be easy." - Annie Dillard.

I didn't know how perfectly placed this one was when I taped it to the top of my monitor. It was for spatial reasons that I chose that exact position -- I already had one on the bottom and a few on one side. Turns out, when I'm looking for a word or scrolling through phrases in my head, my eyes look up. And there is the reminder. No one ever said it would be easy...

It's not just writing. It's a lot of things, but mostly it's believing that I belong here -- at my job, at my desk, with that title beside my name. I would guess that, if we're honest with ourselves, a lot of us feel this way when we do new, difficult things. There is a lot that would argue that we don't belong, and no one ever said that battle would be easy.

It begs the question, why do I always go for what's easy? These words are a reminder that, from the beginning, I wasn't signing up for easy this time, even though that was an option. (But was it really? Where would that take me?) Difficult, refining, hard work -- this is what I signed up for. And no one ever said it would be easy.