Every once in a while I get an original idea or vision, but most often I’m inspired to be creative by the words, imagery, and lives of others. It’s why I’m such an intensive consumer of history and culture. I get inspiration from others, develop something related or complementary on my own, and then share it with my circle of contacts, hopefully inspiring them to perpetuate the cycle in their own way. I love the dynamic nature of this process! However, for it to work, learning and practical experience must be lifelong pursuits.
As I turn 55 this year, I’m thinking more and more about “finishing well”. Exploring that concept more fully could be the subject of several posts. For now, suffice to say that I believe ”finishing well” means consistently pushing forward in life - never standing still for too long (metaphorically speaking). Some of you younger readers may not understand this, but I’ve found that as I get older, there’s more and more temptation to take my foot off the pedal – to kick back and focus on enjoying the fruits of life – to begin disengaging emotionally and mentally from the “rat race”. I’m motivated to resist this temptation by the fear of atrophy. Sure, I know there’s a balance to be struck, but like the old saying goes: “Use it or lose it”.
Last evening, I started reading the book Amish Grace. It’s about the response of the Nickel Mines Amish community to the shootings that occurred in their school back in October 2006. There’s a Amish quote at the beginning of the first chapter that really struck me – because it reflects who I aspire to be as a follower of Jesus (a Christian): “We believe in letting our light shine, but not shining it in the eyes of other people.”
Although my life is defined by my faith, this blog is not intended to be a “bully pulpit” for imposing my views on others. In that regard, I trust those of you who are reading this to keep me honest. Am I opinionated? Sure! – but my intent is not to be accusatory or judgemental. I’m trying to get people to think about things and perhaps stimulate some dialogue and discussion, even if I don’t get to participate in it.
