Stories

All of us have a story. Our stories are our lives. Some would say their story is exciting. Others would say their story isn't very interesting. Exciting or common, long or short, all of us have a story. And no matter what we may think about it, all or our stories are good!

Yesterday as I was running I began to think about my story, and how it intersects with other's stories. All of us have "chapters" in our stories that are very similar to another's story because that is where our stories intersect.

Some of our stories have many "chapters" that are similar because of long relationships: my wife of 35+ years, my grown children, my life-long friends. Others have resurfaced in my story, as I have in theirs because we have reconnected in relationship after a season of different paths.

And as our stories progress, we find that we are constantly writing new chapters because we are constantly connecting with new people.
 Allow me to encourage you to continue to write your stories. See your story as an organic, living, changing, and flowing stream that takes on new dimensions as you grow in every area of your life, and as you grow your relationships.

Seek to make your story better as it gets longer: Invest in others, take risks, use your creativity, lead well, end strong.

Expect your story to continue even after you die, because those you have intersected with and influenced will intersect with and influence others.

 Question: How would you describe your story? Share your thoughts below in comments. 

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Practice, Practice, Practice

The old joke goes something like this: A tourist in New York City asks a man on the street, "How do I get to Carnegie Hall?" The man responds, "Practice, practice, practice."

That's sound wisdom for any artist or creative (and I believe that all of us are creative, because we were made in the image of the Great Creator). Practice.

So we sit in front of a music stand with our instrument, or at the pallet with our brushes, or with pen in hand and we practice.

But we need to think beyond traditional practice and look for creative ways to improve our craft. The writer looks at people and in their mind creates a "character" based on what they see. The painter always has their sketchbook handy for when they stumble upon a scene.

I remember as a Jr. High student, learning music in my Beginning Band class. My director was teaching us about intervals, and the relationship between notes. Wanting to master this fundamental, I would listen for sounds in "life" (the hum of a motor, a blaring car horn, the test pattern of a TV station), and practice humming intervals while identifying them in my mind.

To this day I still hum intervals when I hear a sustained tone. I think I'm being creative. My wife thinks I'm odd.

And then there are scales, the lifeblood of instrumental music. Wanting to use more than just my "band time" and my "personal practice time", I would (as a trumpet player) practice the fingering of the various scales by tapping them out on any surface my hand was on. (For you brass players reading this, when I took up the French horn in high school, I had to practice tapping with my left hand also!)

Again, I still find myself unconsciously moving my fingers in the sequence of a scale. I've noticed guitar players working on fingerings using their forearm as a fret board (a tell-tale sign you are a guitar player).

We should never stop practicing, even when we've "arrived". Practicing should be as much a part of our creativity as the performance. To this day, the great cellist Yo-Yo Ma regularly practices, sometimes five hours a day.

May I encourage all of us to continue to practice. Whether it be purposeful or casual, in preparation for an event or simply to hone your craft, practice. Your goal may not be Carnegie Hall, but the investment is worth the effort.

Question: What do you do to practice your craft/art? Share your thoughts below in comments.
 
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If I Had Facebook

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If I had Facebook when I first stubbed my toe,

     Would I share in my status, or simply get up and go?

If my Mom had Facebook when I won my first race,

     Would she update her homepage, or give praise to my face?

If I had Facebook when I won my first match,

     Would I put up a link, or pat myself on the back?

If I had Facebook when I got my first ride,

     Would I post lots of pictures, or take my friends for a drive?

If I had Facebook when I preached my first time,

     Would I tell all my contacts, or just kept it inside?

If I had Facebook with my fiancee far away,

     Would I have sent a quick message, or written letters everyday?
If I had Facebook when we were to be wed,
     Would I post invitations, or hand-address with a pen?
If I had Facebook when my children were born,
     Would I send one quick update, or tell each friend on the phone?
If I had Facebook when we buried my Dad,
     Would I post for sympathy, or with my family be sad?
If I had Facebook when challenges came,
     Would I share how tough life was was, or faced them with faith?
If I had Facebook when life was going on,
     Would I tell the whole world, or just quietly thank God?

Question: What would you have done differently if you had Facebook before you had Facebook? Share your thoughts below in comments.
 
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Two-Story House

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We live in a two-story house. I actually like two-story houses. I might change my position when I am older, but for now I'm ok with them.

Two-story houses are have always fascinated me. Growing up in South Florida, two-story houses were very uncommon to me. In fact, other than in pictures, I can't remember seeing an actual two-story house until I was in my late teens.

As I consider two-story houses, I realize that they can be an excellent metaphor for relationships. Here are some thoughts:

• Same Foundation: Any good relationship needs to have a common foundation or basis to be solid. Just as in a two-story house both stories share the foundation, relationships also share a common foundation. If that foundation is comprised of "weak" material, the relationship will erode, crack, or fall during storms.
• Stairs: Traversing between floors would be almost impossible were it not for stairs. In the same way, communication is the bridge between people. Sometimes we have to "climb up to their floor" to effectively connect verbally and emotionally, but it's worth the climb.
• Different View: From my bedroom window I can see the Sound, the Santa Rosa Island, and the Gulf of Mexico. I can't see them from the ground floor. In good relationships, the members are willing to see things from the perspective of the other. Sometimes the view is much better.
• Increased Floor Space: Two is better than one the Proverb says. Just as a second story increases the floor space in a house, two people in a relationship is much better. Creativity, responsibility, capacity, and fun are just a few of the things that increase when people are in relationship.
• Same Roof: I am so grateful for my roof. We experienced over two days of steady rain over the weekend but our house stayed dry. Both stories stayed dry. Same roof. The proper covering in a relationship is essential for protection. I am referring to faith in God. The people in that relationship need to share the covering, stay under the covering, and celebrate the covering.

Question: What other ways can a two-story house be a metaphor for relationships? Share your thoughts below in comments.
 
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