Everett’s 2nd Birthday
My Godson Everett's Second Birthday Party at the Fort Worth Zoo.
I can't believe how grown up he already looks and check out his beautiful smile.
on conference planning
Since I plan conferences, I found this article exceptionally useful and am sharing" The Golden Rule for Conferences
just a quote…
For what it’s worth: it’s never too late to be whoever you want to be. There’s no time limit. You can change or stay the same, there are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. And I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life you’re proud of. If you find that you’re not, I hope you have the strength to start all over again.
-The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
weekends need to be longer
I am working on a website update, editing and deleting video and trying to catch up up on my own creative work. The weekends are just not long enough these days.
Here's one of many:
2010, the year of the muse?
I've been trying to figure out why I haven't been creating much lately. I have finally decided that I have simply lost the muse.
Maybe I just put on a shelf and I forgot where I left it like I do so often with my keys or my glasses.
Maybe I've drowned it in so much TV and internet that it's sunk to the bottom of a visual abyss and my feeble attempts to touch the murky bottom are just that weak.
Maybe it walked away from me because I wasn't shiny and new and unconditional anymore.
Maybe it because I starting taking money for it and it's no longer free...
The question then... do I search for the old muse and try to figure out what it was and where I left it? Or, do I seek out a new muse? Both take work to find and work when you find it. The old is familiar but you keep the baggage. The new lets you start fresh but you start from zero and have to build from scratch. I guess an obvious third option is just to sit back and hope one appears like magic with no effort. Oh, and then I thought a fourth might be that it's not lost and I am still creating. I am just doing a piss poor job of documenting it.
Because, I write in my head all the time and see pictures of moments everywhere. Unfortunately, I am not capturing those moments. It's too bad there's not a record button on the side of my head or a camera in my eyeball to freeze the moment. Now, I remember to raise the camera too late only to catch the moment after. Even 140 characters is too much to scratch out these days. I suspect I should start with being more intentional about the time I commit to my creative efforts. It would be nice if it was that simple. I was writing about being intentional earlier in the year. Maybe I was just foreshadowing this moment in my own life.
So, my resolution for 2010 is to be more intentional ... about everything.
Protected: open
the romance factor
When I was young, if someone had told me as I approached 40 years old that I would be starting over from scratch in my personal relationship, I'd have laughed them away believing at the time that by now I would have built something of substance. Believing that what I made would be solid and true and unwavering. Believing. Over time, as I grew older and experienced more of life and love, my view changed but I don't think I ever doubted that my life would be much more settled and committed by now.
But, here I am, staring down the barrel of 40, back in what is essentially a kiddie pool that sometimes feels more like swimming the English Channel.
With distance from the end of my relationship, I find myself in a very different place than before I entered it. What I entered into some six plus years ago was safe and comfortable but I lacked the sufficient heart strings to hold any of it together. One set of strings rarely is strong enough to hold the weight of two. However, it's hold allowed me precious time to heal and repair and to remember just what is important about life. For that I will be forever grateful.
With the caution of 40 but the optimism of 20, I am having my own little renaissance. Dating, being happy, saying yes when I used to say no, not being afraid to make mistakes, learning new life lessons and being free with my emotions is incredibly rewarding. And, it ups the romance factor considerably. Instead of rare moments almost every day holds something special and unique. It's exhausting and a juggling act but worth every serenaded walk in a downtown square and bubble bath and even the bumps and bruises along the way.
Dare to be happy. the romance and adventure are totally worth it...
road maps
I read this article recently. In the article there was a quote. It was written that a road map's no good without a destination. While I understand that the author was just using a simple analogy to make his point, I just have to add my thoughts about how road maps are much more than the fastest path from point A to B.
I love maps. Here are some other things I think maps have to offer:
- A map shows you where you are so that you can decide the best route. (planning)
- There are hundreds of paths to the same destination. Without a map how do you know the best route for you? (resources)
- The map shows you all the stops along the way. (benchmarks)
- Exploring alternative routes with no destination in mind is the best way to gain new perspectives. (flexibility)
- Knowing the distance and when you arrive. (evaluation)
Of course, he was just talking about the end statement and I guess I am considering the process. For me, the journey's the thing.
tap a toe
Most mornings, I wake with a song in my head. Because I go to see live music on a regular basis it is often obvious why a particular song is stuck there. But on other occasions, I find myself wondering why 'this song'? Especially when I sure I haven't heard a song in awhile.
Usually, it's just one line that repeats over and over. Stuck like a broken record. Sometimes it takes all morning to get it out of my head. So, most of the time I find myself also wondering if there is some significance in the line.
This morning, I was playing Sugarland's version of a Matt Nathanson tune, Come on Get Higher.
"come on get higher, loosen my lips. faith and desire and the swing of your hips"
Over and over. I think I'll just start writing them down and see if a pattern emerges.