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Making Things Out of Junk
One of our kids returned proudly from pre-school one day holding up a creation made entirely from objects rescued from the recycling bin. If we were unsure what this random glued-together collection of cups and sticks was, exactly, so was she. But it was her creation, and that was enough to call it something like…
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Perfectionism
“Perfectionism will ruin your writing, blocking inventiveness and playfulness and life force (these are the words we are allowed to use in California). Perfectionism means that you try desperately not to leave so much mess to clean up. But clutter and mess show us that life is being lived. Clutter is wonderfully fertile ground –…
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Love the Process
I have a friend who loves fishing. Even after years of pulling fish out of the water – long after most of us would have gotten bored with the sport – he still gets excited about every fish. He loves getting out on the water every day, whether the fishing is good or bad. He…
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Ears
Several years ago, a wise old preacher friend was giving me some advice about public speaking. “I want to keep doing it,” he said, “as long as my ears are good.” Although this sounded wise, it also seemed illogical, coming from a man whose main job (in my mind) was to talk. But I think…