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Two thoughts were running through my brain when my eyes opened this morning. Similar to the “what came first the chicken or the egg” logic, I’m not sure which thought showed up first.
Lord, thank you for this day. Thank you for the spacious place you’ve planted my feet.
“You can’t wait for inspiration to show up. You have to go after it with a club.”
I grabbed my phone off the nightstand and checked the time.
4:51
I grabbed my club, got out of bed, and started the coffee.
Show up. Lately, those words have been showing up a lot in my life. I love that quote from Jack London. I came across it three of four years ago when I was writing a short blog post about inspiration and how you can’t wait for it to show up. In fact, 9 out of 10 times it doesn’t show up until I do. And sometimes (most of the time) I have to grab it by the hand and pull it up the path because is has a tendency to lollygag…like an easily distracted toddler.
These were some thoughts I wrote about inspiration shortly after I started to write my way through life. After a few more years of writing under my belt, they are still true today:
A Walk with Inspiration
I took a walk with Inspiration
His stride, much shorter than mine today
His gaze, drawn to all the yellow dandelions poking through the grass
I call to him, “Come now, Inspiration,catch up, it’s getting late.”
His little steps quicken
A caterpillar
emerges from the blades
and wriggles across the path
Inspiration giggles and crouches down to watch
I turn, and call again
“This way, Inspiration,
we’re running out of time.”
He bends down lower
his cheek brushes the earth
he waves good-bye to his friend
jumps up and continues along the path
The other day I decided that in 2015 I wanted to write a book. Even though it’s not quite 2015 I started showing up and writing this book earlier in the week. When I got up this morning, I wrote about 300 more words. I know that’s not many, especially when you think about stringing 50,000 + words together. But, I also know I have to start somewhere.
Three hundred words is better than no words.
I was reminded of when I started running. I had to show up and do one mile before I was ever able to do four, or six, or thirteen.
Showing up is the key to everything in life. If we fail to take this one step, we miss the beauty, we miss the lessons, and we never discover what we are capable of accomplishing.
Today, I want to encourage you to be willing to show up…grab a club and a cup of coffee if you have to. 😉
I’m a lot farther behind on writing on what I’d taken to calling the paper project when I re-committed to the idea back in 2013. No excuses to offer, nor do I need offer any – other things have taken more of my time and my interests and affections – but support your effort, even if it is only a quiet cheer from a little gray house on the Minnesota prairie? Absolutely – don’t club your muse so hard she can’t get back up; I’d never heard London’s quote before this, but it was a good one for me to see.
Thanks, Eileen!
I’ll take the quiet cheer from your little gray house, Rick. Thank you.
I’ve had someone after me for close to 2 years to write a book. I have not showed up for that. Not sure why. Thanks for the gentle reminder Eileen. Oh…do you mind if I bring along a Diet Dr Pepper or a Dr Pepper 10 instead of coffee?
Thanks, Bill. I think I’m just at that point where you figure you never know unless you try it. 🙂 And, OKAY, Dr Pepper. My son would certainly approve!