When I was about ten years old, I discovered the joy of opening a fresh sketch pad. Nothing felt better than holding 50 blank pages with endless possibilities. By applying a pencil and my imagination, from nothing I could create something. I could create anything. Fred Flintstone, Archie & Jughead, Dodger players all appeared in my sketch book. I eventually came up with my own characters. When I was finishing up a pad, all I could think of was getting a new one to dive into.
A few years later, fresh legal pads brought be that same feeling. Writing song lyrics was my passion. I was never intimated at staring at a blank page because I knew that there was always a chance that something special could emerge. Even if the result was mediocre at least something would appear. I learned that rewriting afforded the opportunity to improve the result. Rewriting became as important as the writing. A second chance. A do-over. The song wasn’t final until it was on vinyl.
As I have grown older, I have begun to see each day like the blank canvases with endless possibilities that excited me in the past. With each morning, I get a fresh opportunity to create a day of significance. I can try to meet challenges with a touch of grace. I can be a blessing to the people that I come in contact with. Depending on intent, word choice and tone, each interaction has the potential to be something exceptional or it can end disastrous or somewhere in between. Even though today does not allow for erasing, rewrites or do-overs, tomorrow presents a fresh chance to do something meaningful. As I despised wasting my blank pages, I dislike wasting moments and I hate wasting days.
I am not as successful at all of this as I would like but I am trying. I’ve only just recently perfected my Fred Flintstone drawings, so some things take time.
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