TotD: Live, Love, Laugh... Create!

It is "creativity" or "creation" that remains, beyond our lifetimes.

Think of all of the marvelous things that have remained though their creators have passed. In the short range, one can list multitudes of people and their accomplishments, but as we go further and further back, what remains is the creation and not the legacy of its creator.

Take for example some of the oldest written songs or oldest hand-crafted pottery. While we are limited to what we know and what we can deduce about the artist who framed such masterpieces, we can still appreciate, today, the art, skill, and creativity that went into crafting these things.

Though a steady form of written recording seems to exist today, what if the world lost everything but a few scraps of the past- a few relics or stories?

Today, I want to be creative- I want to create something literal, something etherial, something heard, something tasted, something that ... tells the story of me.

And maybe hundreds of years from now...
(When we've forgotten things like: who invented the cotton gin... it was Eli Whitney)
Someone will enjoy my creation, and without even knowing me, will experience life, my way.

Create.

TotD: Three sayings that help me explain life...

1. Locks just keep honest people honest.

My dad says this phrase often when he reminds me to lock the doors to my car or to be safe. What it means is: Someone with real, malicious intent is not going to be thwarted by a lock. If they really want in, they will get in. Locks are meant so that good people don't make bad judgement calls. (Which says a lot about my dad if you ask me- a person who can really differentiate between bad people and bad judgement) Protecting ourselves and our possessions is about not offering a good person the chance to do something bad.

2. Stop and smell the roses.

This one I think my mom's mom has told me several times; that I've got to remember to slow down sometimes and appreciate the little things. I was thinking of this in a literal manner the other day as I walked down the street and realized that I had not yet even looked up at the sky to see if there were any clouds or really felt that nice, cool breeze. It's when we get too busy thinking about life and how to make it better, that we start to miss the little things that do.

3. You either implode or you explode.

Okay, I know this sounds weird. Here's a random thought for you- do you implode or explode? What I mean is I have come up with a theory that there are two types of reactions that people have when they experience shock: they either implode (sucking air into their lungs) or explode (scream). I also think that it is difficult to be both; you're more likely to do one or the other. I, for example, implode when faced with a shocking situation. I am more likely to say nothing or make no sound, than I am to scream. (I just got cast in a horror film... can you tell?) This makes it very difficult in my line of work. I can scream; it sounds like I'm riding a roller-coaster, because I'm screaming at being exhilarated... not shocked. And now that I think about this, maybe it could be applied to life in general... do we bottle it up, or let it out...?

So, ask yourself, "Do I implode or explode?" and post it below if you will, and let me know if I'm alone in my 'implosion.'

TotD: It's My Fall-back

Today's thought of the day might make a few people get defensive, but I ask you to just try to hear me out:

Don't fall-back on my passion. 

I see people every day who wanted to do something, and instead they've taken to a career which they've deemed "easier." These careers may be considered this because they are less risky, more stable, involve less training or schooling, or aren't quite as competitive (any of those or a combination). Some of the best examples include: teaching, nursing, hair-styling, etc...

"Fall-back" Disclaimer: I consider a "fall-back" job as something that you decide to do for which you have no passion, but have chosen to do simply to make money, bide time, or have stability. A fall-back is when you are resigned to doing something you don't like; it does not include changing careers or following new dreams if these changes are about a new found passion.

But, what I want to point out here is that some people have a passion for teaching, for hair-styling, for nursing, for sales jobs, for bar-tending... they aren't in their line of work because they decided it was too hard to do something else. They didn't "fall-back" on this career; this is their dream!

So, when someone walks into my dream and thinks they can be what I've worked so hard to be, it's... insulting. If I go to years of schooling to be a teacher because I have a passion for children and teaching, and you add a teaching certificate on to your degree as a "fall-back" plan, I don't think we should go through the same interview. Again, I know this is going to ruffle some feathers, so I'll give you my personal example:

I went to a gig- a commercial that I was really excited to have been cast in- and I met a girl just out of university who was also in the commercial that day. She'd gotten the roll of a "roller skater" and told me about how she played women's hockey for years and was very at-ease on skates. She said she'd gone to university and played for the university team. They'd even played against an Olympic team. I asked what she was studying in university and she said: Kinesiology, so I asked her if she was pursuing hockey or coaching or training or anything. She said that she found the world of personal training kind of unappealing and had talked to a friend who told her she could be a model or actor.

So, without any training (very brave actually), she pulled some strings through good ole mom and dad, got an agent, and booked her very first gig... this commercial.

I have absolutely nothing against her success, but my point is: she believes that she can just decide to be in my profession without the training, the knowledge, or even the passion, and the sad part is... it's true!

I could decide tomorrow to be a hair dresser. I could study it a little, and I could start at one of the many salons around here within months. I would have no passion for it; I would never want to improve, be innovative, or grow in my career, and I probably wouldn't do the best work (because of my lack of passion). And because I'm not doing my best work, I make my profession look bad, look easy, look like anyone could do it... but they can't: not like me. Maybe someday I too will "fall-back" on something outside of my profession for the money or the stability and you can call my a hypocrite, but I'm writing this today as a reminder to myself that if I do have to reconsider my career, I will remember:

A. I must have a passion for my fall-back and
B. There are people, for whom this is not a fall-back plan

If you have a passion to teach, go teach!
If you have a passion to act, go act!
If you have a passion for soap and want to sell it or make it, do it!
If you have a passion to cut hair, drive a cab, be a tour guide, bar-tend.... Do it!
If you don't know what your passion is or have many, that's great! Don't consider it all a fall-back!



But don't you dare "Fall-Back" on my profession.

TotD: Baby, You Can't Drive My Car

It has recently come to my attention that people in cars behave one of two ways:

1. You pointedly avoid looking at other people in other cars
2. You stare at other people in other cars. 

This I find interesting, because it's considered impolite to stare at people in public (when they can walk up to you and tell you so), but from the safety of your vehicle, you're allowed. Now, when I say you are one of two people, this does not mean that you cannot switch! Consider for example the amount of "people watching" you do from the passenger's seat versus the drivers seat. Drivers tend to look at each other much less as they want to avoid confrontation with another operator.

I've decided that this confusion: Do I look or don't I? Comes from the odd relationship that cars create. Within the car nothing really changes, but from car to car (unless windows are rolled down and you're traveling at relatively the same speed without music playing... that sounds good and boring... and awkward) the relationship is very strange. We can see other people in their cars but we can't communicate with them and there's nothing to indicate whether we'd get a response or not if we tried. So, we look out of curiosity or we stare straight ahead trying to remain unseen.


It's just a random 'thought of the day,' but I think it says something about us; I'm just not sure what. And if you like my random rants like this one, here's one last thing to ponder:

I believe that whether or not you pick your nose in your car directly correlates with the type of person you are (stares at others/doesn't look). Those who do not look would be more likely to pick their noses as they believe (or wish to believe) that they are alone... But sir, you are never alone in that car. 

TotD: Optimism... Oh the Irony

Life will never be all bad news, and I suppose (in continuing with my pessimism theme) this is where optimism comes in. There are always two ways to look at each situation.

My mother has always said: "We (our family) are unluckily lucky. Bad things may happen to us, but there's always a silver lining."

I've believed this ever since I was very young especially when relatives have been diagnosed with cancer and beat it, when people get into car accidents and come out without a scratch, when something gets lost and the person who returns it is pretty darn cute.... Whatever the case, my family has been through some pretty tough things, but because we're "unluckily lucky" we make it out, we pull through, we move on.

I've gotta think though, that this comes from the power of optimism. I can choose how to look at these situations as they arise; they can be road-blocks or stepping stones. I can also decide whether they are mountains or mole-hills. I can let them stop me or use them to propel me forward.

No matter what comes my way, be it positive or negative looking, I can decide how it affects me because I am in control.

TotD: Compliment Sandwich

Yes, that's right, you heard it on Family Guy when Stewie gave Brian a performance review. Stewie describes the "compliment sandwich" saying: 'First, I'll start off with something you're doing well, then I'll touch on an area of improvement, and I'll conclude with another high point.' (Or something of the sort) He goes on to say some pretty hilarious comments, but what I was thinking about today is how life kind of tends to give you a 'compliment sandwich' or even a double-decker. 

People always say that bad things happen in threes. Not that I'm terribly superstitious, but often I do find that to be true. I also believe that as humans, we have the desire to find patterns in everyday life- meaning that when two things go wrong, we become convinced that one more thing will happen (and tend to count things that are on a much more minor scale). For example: Last summer, all in the same week, my husband was in a car accident, our fridge started leaking freon, and... I spilled coffee in my car. Are these three a pattern? Or is it just that I was looking for something to count for number three?

Recently, however, I've been noticing that things seem to balance each other out. One day it's terrible news and the next, it's fantastic.  Of course this is to a greater or lesser degree. I believe that this is the world's way of keeping everything on an even keel; nothing can go right all the time. My personal belief is that God gives us the rain with the sunshine, and if I never see the rain, I'll never appreciate the sun. But whatever you want to believe- karma, God, a combination or some other force of nature- it's hard to deny that the good and the bad always come back around in a never ending chain... or sandwich stack. 

So, I'm going to "hope for the best and plan for the worst." I'm gonna find today's "compliment sandwich"and eat it too.

You can find your compliment sandwich too, because you're awesome! I mean, you could use a little work, but, everything will turn out right, don't worry! ;)