BEWARE: the PARK ranger's anger

I hate parking. 



(I'm not very good at it.)  (I'm also not overly motivated to change it.) (Don't be mad.)

I have a brilliant idea, though.  One day, I'm going to invent a parking stall with moving lines.  You just park where you want, get out, and marvel at the perfection. Ta-da.  Look mom, no hands!

Now that I mention it, I hate most things that I'm not good at. Is it just me?! Do I also avoid things I can't understand? Is it easy to make excuses instead of making sense of it? Does making excuses include transferring our shame to someone else instead of taking ownership of gaps in our inabilites...?

OK...so back to parking. The lines don't move (for now). I can clearly see the lines, so that means my vision is perfectly fine. But even when I think I've done a really good job and open the door to "praise myself" for my success, I'm still over the line. Or close. Too close.

This can only mean two things; My mother passed on the "Inability-to-Park" genes from her late ancestors whose horses consistently wandered over the gravelled pathway and into the ditch (the most mutated form of this gene, of course). Or perhaps it means I need a smaller car...

Or else, I suppose, if I really wanted to, I could LOOK at my weakness, admit that although I keep trying, I'm still struggling and try to move on. Would I start a revolution?!!

I have no promises for tomorrow's parking. But today I'm really sorry that I crossed the line and blocked you in. But don't blow it out of proportion. (It's not like I stole your car.)

Practical application:  My mistakes and inherent weaknesses give me a lot of compassion for my kids, who are also in the processs of taking responsibility for their own actions and learning not. to. blame. others. It's not about closing our eyes, blaming someone else, or never parking again.  We are all human here. It's time someone admitted it.

"You know, somebody actually complimented me on my driving today. 

They left me a little note on my windshield that said, 'Parking Fine.'" 

(Tommy Cooper)

being an INSPIRATION

Everybody wants to inspire somebody. But what does it take to be an inspiration?

An Inspiration is influential because they choose to stand out. They believe deeply and walk it out. Breathe deeply and sing it out. See something and point it out. They are fearless, confident, intentional.

We all want to be inspired, but few of us are willing to do the hard steps that it takes to be Inspirational. Being inspirational means doing something that others aren’t capable of or willing to do.

• Sticking with it when it’s difficult. 
• Choosing to lay bitterness aside in order to forgive the unforgivable.
• Running when the weather is miserable.
• Inviting someone you hate out for coffee.
• Doing what it takes to admit you were wrong. 

“People mistakenly assume that their thinking is done by their head;
it is actually done by the heart which first dictates the conclusion,
then commands the head to provide the reasoning that will defend it.”

[Anthony de Mello]

[value of] words pressed into sand

If a word falls into a blogspot, but nobody reads it...
did it fully get expressed?


 
If a writer invests time, imagination, and sentiment into putting words on a page, is it enough to have them exist in silence like a new species of spider that nobody has discovered yet?  If this is the case, although writing is still therapy for the writer, it is only for the writer. 

Words written from the expression of the heart need to be shared and considered in much the same way as a good meal can be tasted and digested in the stomach of the reader.    But, like a feast, if there is no one to enjoy the meal, it will sit there and gather dust without ever being fully enjoyed.  That is why God created people...To enjoy the expression of His handiwork, share in its pleasures and tell Him what a good God He is for making it all.  He doesn't need to hear it; we need to say it.  

I am not saying that there is no value to speaking face to face, but there is also no record of these words exchanged.  Words on a page can be re-read, re-considered, and re-sponded to over and over again.  If there is someone willing to read.


Even if a word is written in the sand and enjoyed by one person until it is washed away by the waves, it is still enough.


"In good writing, words become one with things."

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

"A writer doesn't solve problems. He allows them to emerge."

-Friedrich Dürrenmatt

"How do I know what I think until I see what I say?"

-E. M. Forster

"We write to taste life twice, in the moment and in retrospection."

-Anais Nin

make some NOISE!

Are you quiet or loud?

I was a very loud child.  But as I grew older...I became quiet. Convinced no one was interested in what I might have to say. 
...I used to be quiet. 

In many ways, I still am...I only speak when I have something to say.  I suppose that means I have more to say now than ever before.  I am convinced that, like me, you also have something to say.  Someone needs to hear what is going on inside of you.  Someone needs to be encouraged by your struggle.  Someone needs to know that they are not alone.  Someone needs to know that you've been there, and you got through this.

If you have something to say and you're bursting at the seems with silence...the time to release what you've got is now.

When you have gone through your time of pondering, being hidden in your quiet place where ideas grow and formulate...find your footing and stand firm.  Then tell someone around you where you've been.  Encourage someone.  Talk about it.  Make yourself accountable.  And when you stumble, cry out for a hand...it's closer than you think.  Don't stay silent.  Call out for it.  We all need each other.  We need to hear your story.

Check that the foundation under your feet is secure.  When you see it, be amazed.  It's an extravagant gift.  He won't let you be put to shame.  When you choose to open your gift and stand, don't keep your mouth shut...MAKE SOME NOISE!!!

People need to know what you've found.  What you've discovered.  I want to see what is planted inside of you because it is precious, unique, and powerful.  Share it.  Breathe life into your progress by telling someone else.

"Preach it all...Preach the entire message to them...[let] the noise reverberate all over the earth; everyone everywhere hears it.'"

Jeremiah 25:30 (MSG)