Creative Addiction

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My name is Brad, and I have a problem. It began when I was in Jr. High School. It got worse in High School. Then into College and adulthood.

Now, after so many years of dealing with it, I still cannot resist: When I hear a song, I am drawn to break it apart and evaluate it musically. (You really didn't expect me to confess a substance abuse problem did you?)

I follow the chord structure. I harmonize. I analyze the lyrics. I wouldn't have chosen that word I tell myself. (Once while driving my daughter to school and listening to the radio, I made that comment about a song. Her response: They are the one with a song on the radio, not you Dad. Touché!)

Why do I do this? Why don't I simply listen to a song, sing along, and simply say I love that song?

Because I have a creative addiction.

I think that all of us who are creative have something inside of us that causes us to evaluate, to scrutinize, to improve. (And I believe that all of us are creative because we are all made in the image of the Great Creator.)

I like to call it creativity. You may display it in drawing or painting. Someone else may manifest it in writing and wordsmithing. Another may carry a beat in their head that they apply to other songs. (Know anyone who is always drumming with their fingers?) I believe that all of us have it.

So don't judge me if I tell you that most songs contain only four basic chords. Don't avoid me simply because I hum along, harmonizing with train horns. And don't think I am weird for trying to find the elusive word that rhymes with orange.

There aren't any 12-step programs for recovering creatives that I'm aware of. But if there were, I think it would be fun to go, and to confess my need to harmonize with any random tone that I hear. I think I would be accepted, because I believe that there are a lot of people out there that share my same creative addiction.

Question: Do you have a creativity addiction Share your addiction below in 'comments'.

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Leveraging Valuable Moments

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School began this week for many. At least it did for the students in Northwest Florida where I live. On the very first day of school I witnessed a terrible tragedy.

As I drove to work in the morning I passed several places where children were waiting with their mothers (and in some cases their fathers), and the moms (or dads) were texting away on their smart phones while their the children stood or sat alone. Ignored.

The reason I call this a tragedy is because of this: Our busy lifestyles and fast-paced worlds have caused time with our children to be at a premium. Here were precious moments where parents could interact with their children. Instead they chose to have conversations with others who were not there.

What made this even more tragic to me was that this was the first day of school. I can only imagine the fears, uncertainties, and anxieties that the children were feeling.

Here was a perfect time to encourage, to love, or perhaps to teach. (As opposed to the universal send-off for children: Be good. Seriously: Will that admonition really make or break whether our kids obey or disobey the rules?)

How about I love you! or I know you'll have a great day! for the last thing we tell our children before they go off?

Even though my children are grown and I don't take them to the bus stop anymore, I still endeavor to live by those same principles of leveraging precious moments with those whom I love. When I am in a conversation with my wife or one of my children, I try to remember to silence the ringer on my iPhone and turn it over so I am not tempted to look at it if it vibrates with a text or a call.

What if it is an important message, or one of my other children? I remember the lesson we taught our children when they were young: If they want to speak to us while we're engaged in another conversation, simply say "excuse me" and wait until I excuse myself from the conversation and give them my attention. (Hmmmm... Sounds like a great way honor the one we are speaking with, while moving towards checking our smart phone.)

Silence the smart phone, focus your attention, leverage the valuable moments you have your children, your spouse, or your good friend. We may never get those moments back.

Question: What do you do to leverage valuable moments with those whom you love? Share your thoughts below in 'comments'.

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Inside, Outside, Upside Down

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A favorite book that I read to my children when they were young was Stan & Jan Berenstain's Inside, Outside, Upside Down. The goal of the book was to teach spatial concepts to young minds.

I can remember my children and I laughing as we read together, seeing the different 
situations that Brother Bear found himself in while inside of a box.

From going in and coming out to right side up and upside down, Brother Bear navigates the new experiences, and in the process learns new things.

I don't know about you, but sometimes I find myself on the inside, not able to see what's going on out there.

Other times I feel like an outsider, trying to get in on what's going on around me.

And then there are the times where my life feels like it's totally upside down.

Isn't that what God does to us and for us? We find ourselves in situations, relationships, and environments where we have to learn how to grow, relate, accept, comply, respond, and forgive.

And in the process we discover that the most important thing we have to do is trust Him.

Let's not shake our fist at our difficulties, but rather embrace them as vehicles to shape us into better people and better leaders.

Question: What do you do when you find yourself Inside, Outside, and Upside Down? Share your thoughts below in 'comments'.

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Friend, Follower, or Foe

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We all have friends. Some of us have foes. A few of us have followers. I am not referring here to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Blogs, or any of the other social media vehicles. Please read on...

Social media has redefined many words. (I wrote on how the words Final, Extreme, and Epic have been redefined in a previous post here.) What about the words Friend and Follower?

In Facebook language, a Friend is someone who has some level of access to your profile, posts, photos, and comments. In the Twitter world, a Follower is someone whose "stream" gets updated with your thoughts, updates, and sometimes pictures.

A common Facebook "poster" keeps his friends informed with a selection of pictures, quotes, complaints, and general musings.

The savvy Twitter person seeks to gather as many followers as possible, tweet (speak) a select number of times a day, and follow a select few who in their opinion have something beneficial to say to them.

But what really is a friend? Who really is a follower?

It wasn't too long ago that a friend was someone whom one could rely on, who would give needed advice, and who had our back. Hmmmm... Does that sound like many of the Facebook friends in your profile?

Equally, a follower was someone who was committed to a leader, and not only allowed themselves to be spoken into by that leader, but allowed that leader to literally influence and shape their life. Again, does that sound like many of the followers in your Twitter profile?

All I am suggesting is that we evaluate who we call friends, who we call followers, who we follow and friend. Just some thoughts...

Question: What are your thoughts on Friends and Followers? Share your thoughts below in 'comments'.

If you like this post, you can re-post, 'share' it on your Facebook status, or forward it to your friends. Follow me on Twitter @bigcloudmusic if you find me interesting. Subscribe to this Blog if you'd like.