Paper, Rock and Scissors

 

The other day, I was opening a sealed envelope and got a paper cut on my hand.  It happened right by the part of the hand that folds over when grabbing something.  In other words, quite painful.  I started thinking about the pain that one little measly corner piece of tree/plant pulp (could've been bamboo, cotton, hemp, jute, etc. but I wasn't sure of the origin) could create.

"How can something so frail and small give birth to excruciating pain?" 

Isn't that the truth in life as well? 

A lot of times, the hurt we feel comes from something small.  Or at least it starts small. 

It could be something someone said or did that cuts us to the bone. A hurtful word, or comment, or gesture. 

There are two ways to chop down a tree.  Either small whacks over time in the same location or one mighty chop coming from a behemoth-like machine.  

Again, true in life as well.  Small, consistent whacks over time can prove painful. 

George Plimpton was an American journalist who wrote the book "Paper Lion" about his experience trying to play professional football for the Detroit Lions.  The title suggested that he was not professional football material because of his paper-thin athletic skills.  

Plimpton described himself as a "Paper Lion" but his impact on that team cut deeper than anyone could imagine.  

Again, the strength of the "paper" is able to gash. 

Forget the rock or scissors, paper always wins. Always. 

When is the Right Time To Write

I find myself in a quandary. 

Due to extenuating circumstances right now, I am not in a good headspace.

My lizard brain has been activated and active and I have always found writing as a way to help me to quiet the lizard brain.  The problem is my writing is taking on a dark undertone that I don't find appealing.  Don't get me wrong, sometimes writing...real, honest writing can (and should) be shaded. But it can't consume.  

When you start a blog that starts out with the loss of life (either from death, divorce, or growing apart) and another that starts out with a condemnation of overt hypocrisy, you know you are heading down a dark and dreary road. 

So when is the right time to write?  During good times or bad?  Happy or sad?  Introspective (or as my wife calls it, "thinky") or looking outward onto the rest of the world? 

I guess the answer is "yes." 

Writing for me is a release so I can't feel bad if my writing takes on a dark undertone sometimes.  I also don't want to write only when times are Pollyanna.  The teeter-totter balances in the middle for a reason. 

I might still publish my two darker ones or I might just keep them as drafts.  Sometimes, just getting feelings out there into the universe, makes all the difference.  

My keyboard becomes my therapist without expensive visits or comfy couches. 

Write when it feels right. Not when you think it might be wrong.  

Right? 

Blueprints, a GPS or Conrete?

 

We are here today, because of yesterday. 

But the question is was yesterday your blueprint, your GPS, or your concrete. 

Let me explain...

If you look at yesterday as the blueprint, you are designing the big picture but staying true to the consistency of the moment.  It's the design of what is to come. 

If you look at yesterday as the GPS, you are following the voyage of the trip.  It's the path of what is to come. 

If you look at yesterday as the concrete, you have built your foundation...you have "poured your concrete."  The house can end up a lot different but you have a base. 

I argue that yesterday is nothing more than your concrete. It's the foundation.  The construction can go in a lot of different directions. Your blueprint and your GPS are all up to you. 

I used to think I was always heading in a certain direction because of my concrete.  I updated my blueprints and GPS. 

You will always have to live with your concrete.  Blueprints and GPS were made to be changed. It's their essence. 

Know your concrete. 

Erase your blueprints...over and over again. 

Turn off the GPS and just drive.  Sometimes.  

Today.