“Perfection consists not in doing extraordinary things, but in doing ordinary things extraordinarily well.”-- Angelique Arnauld
Writing is just such an ordinary task. And although I seek that perfection (which I'm not sure even exists) in doing it extraordinarily well, it takes more work, exertion, time, pain, sweat, tears and blood than I ever imagined. My ideas are shape-shifting ghosts that love to play tricks on me. They play hide-and-seek; just when I think I have finally found that blasted illusive thought, it turns into smoke between my fingers. Nothing.
A constant search for a muse is exhausting and, at times, feels useless. Do I write fairy tales? Gore? Fiction? Non-fiction. Maybe that's the trouble with writing; the possibilities are endless. But then, that's the surprising joy in writing too; you never know how the story will end.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Thursday, February 11, 2010
"Try, Try Again"
"It is common sense to take a method and try it. If it fails, admit it frankly and try another. But above all, try something." --FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT
Life has become too easy to give-up on; thousands throw-in the towel every year. Some take their life and throw themselves into the hereafter. Others simply stop living even while they still breathe. They stop trying. Dreams are either forgotten or consciously put away in imaginary boxes that hold things like first baseball game memories, ballerina slippered twirls and blanket-fort blueprints. No one is ever excited about making these "responsible" decisions to leave such treasures behind. But when reality hits, it often doesn't leave room for exciting dreams, even if you want to work to make them a part of your reality.
This reality, the one that demands bills be paid and money saved, isn't nearly as colorful as those beautiful fantasies. Nothing in life quite compares to those crisp, clean ideas. And soon all too many of us begin to trudge through the days of work, dinner, exhaustion and heartache; we forget to hold-on to the bright beacon that kept us so energized years ago. We're jaded and forget to look for signs of hope while our own hopelessness is mirrored in the faces of those around us. A losing economy where people are fighting to keep job, home, family and health seems like the last place to start dreaming-up old dreams again, but maybe it's when we need to the most.
We have to try; try to live that complex balance between the hard, cold, real world and the place in our hearts and minds where anything is possible. It's like riding a bike for the first time or trying on a new pair of skates. The likelihood that we'll fall is very real, but the pay-off when we get to ride down the street, no hands on the handlebars and the wind in our faces will be worth more than the heartache it took to learn that new skill. That exhilarating, breath-stealing slice of a second may be worth all the "what ifs" in the world when we allow ourselves to follow our dreams and believe anything is possible once more.
Life has become too easy to give-up on; thousands throw-in the towel every year. Some take their life and throw themselves into the hereafter. Others simply stop living even while they still breathe. They stop trying. Dreams are either forgotten or consciously put away in imaginary boxes that hold things like first baseball game memories, ballerina slippered twirls and blanket-fort blueprints. No one is ever excited about making these "responsible" decisions to leave such treasures behind. But when reality hits, it often doesn't leave room for exciting dreams, even if you want to work to make them a part of your reality.
This reality, the one that demands bills be paid and money saved, isn't nearly as colorful as those beautiful fantasies. Nothing in life quite compares to those crisp, clean ideas. And soon all too many of us begin to trudge through the days of work, dinner, exhaustion and heartache; we forget to hold-on to the bright beacon that kept us so energized years ago. We're jaded and forget to look for signs of hope while our own hopelessness is mirrored in the faces of those around us. A losing economy where people are fighting to keep job, home, family and health seems like the last place to start dreaming-up old dreams again, but maybe it's when we need to the most.
We have to try; try to live that complex balance between the hard, cold, real world and the place in our hearts and minds where anything is possible. It's like riding a bike for the first time or trying on a new pair of skates. The likelihood that we'll fall is very real, but the pay-off when we get to ride down the street, no hands on the handlebars and the wind in our faces will be worth more than the heartache it took to learn that new skill. That exhilarating, breath-stealing slice of a second may be worth all the "what ifs" in the world when we allow ourselves to follow our dreams and believe anything is possible once more.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
