Each of their answers reminded me of truth I've learned about blessings in the experiences of my own life – some, very recent experiences. And some of their answers allowed me to discover new truths that I hope I will be able to internalize and apply to my life from here on out. I can't wait to share all of it with you.
With all these inspirations and stories I have collected, I've decided to divide "The Power of a Blessing" post into three parts. Today I am introducing the series with Darlin' Bird's first ever, one of many to come, INSPIRING BIRD interviews!
The intention of these INSPIRING BIRD interviews is to introduce you to a creative soul that will no doubt inspire. . .and, hopefully, encourage each of us to discover, or rediscover, or even just remind us of the creative potential we all have to live out our hearts' desires,
this day.
So, let me introduce to you. . .
Brenda Pettinger!
Brenda has been a darling friend of mine for more than 13 years. She is a writer, an artist, a teacher, an observer and lover of good, a friend, a sister and an inspiration.
In the interview below, I was so struck with Brenda's answer to the question about how and when it was that she realized her heart's desire. Plus, click on the link at the end of this post entitled "Inspiring Bird Podcast 1" to hear Brenda's inspiring piece she wrote based on an assignment she gives to her students at BSU, (see "This I Believe" on NPR's site). Also, hear how Brenda defines a blessing and in what way she, specifically, has been blessed. It's so powerful.
Read and hear all the good.
May you be inspired. . .and blessed this day.
Out of all the things in your life you are working to accomplish, what is one of the deepest, creative desires of your heart? Said another way, what would you want most to accomplish if you knew you were guaranteed to succeed and there was no possibility of failure?
I’ve always wanted to write a book (what writer doesn’t?). I’ve always wanted to write a book in the same way that some people want to run a marathon or climb Everest or swim the English Channel. There are certain goals that require hard work, a learning curve, preparation, discipline, and their realization is not for glory or recognition (my goal isn’t to win any prizes or be on Oprah or even to publish a novel—it’s to write one, even if no one ever reads it). The process of it is daunting and the culmination of the task is so monumental, how could you not feel like you’ve accomplished an amazing feat? I want to write a novel in the same way some people want to sky dive or BASE jump or run with the bulls in Pamplona. Because doing something that risky is a rush and it’s a practice in vulnerability and it gives you a different perspective on the world. And in the end, maybe it makes you a better person. Isn’t that the nature of our heart’s desires—to offer us a corridor into that place where the best, most purest form of our self lives? I want to get to her.
What has happened in your life to help you identify that desire? When did you recognize in yourself that this was a passion of yours and what helped to identify that passion in yourself?
One day when I was in grade school I was hanging out in my room, reading books. I had this cool bedroom with a graduated ceiling, so above my closet was another huge storage closet, and I would climb up there where there were a few boxes and an extra mattress, and I would read or draw or write. And I wrote this poem from the perspective a little girl who sees this really saddened clown in the park. It was your basic, grade school poem, metered, rhymed. It was my first poem. I showed it to my dad, who was an English professor and a writer, and I told him I wrote it. And he said, You mean you read it somewhere and you wrote it down? No, I wrote it myself, I told him, and I remember how surprised he was. Then, of course, he and my mom encouraged me to write more poems, which I did, and they were equally elementary—certainly I was no literary prodigy—but in the least, they revealed a certain level of creativity and observative inclination. Around that time, there was a Young Writer’s Contest that was held each year in our valley, and I entered each year and was recognized each year in my age category. (I haven’t thought about all this in years!) It’s so important for children to be praised and honored for their creative gifts—and encouraged even beyond that, on a daily basis, by parents, family, teachers, strangers. I’m so blessed to have had people in my life who always believed (and still believe) that I am a better writer than I think I am.
Mostly through my college years as an English major, the majority of my writing moved from creative to critical—essays, literary criticism, just a different beast. Weeks after I finished my Master’s program, I was invited to participate in a writer’s workshop led by Terry Tempest Williams. It was the perfect setting (Idaho wilderness) and the perfect assignment (animal tracks) and the perfect sized group (small enough that we each had one-on-one time with Terry). When it was my turn to read to her what I had written (it was just the two of us)—I will never forget this—she just looked at me with tears in her eyes and said, Whatever you’re planning to do with your life right now, if it doesn’t involve writing, stop it. You should be writing—that’s all you should be doing. That was a surreal moment for me—because again, someone (and not just someone, an amazing woman and a talented writer) had this incredible belief in my gifts. At that time she was on the editorial board of a regional literary publication out of Missoula, and she took the piece that I had written and she personally submitted it, and it was the first piece of writing I had published.
What things in your life are you actively doing to help manifest this passion in your life today?
A little over a year ago, I began a huge writing project—something that will take me years to complete. And it’s totally for me. My heart’s desire. And it’s been incredibly rewarding and frustrating and energizing. I’m having to do a lot of research on several different subjects. I’m reading newspapers from the early 1900s, learning about mining equipment and processes from that time period, brushing up on my Native American mythology, looking into natural medicine. It’s fun. I love it. I’m not the most disciplined writer—my schedule is so insane, it’s not feasible to carve out writing time every single day. But I get snippets in here and there and when I take days off, it’s to go on a writing binge. My manuscript is getting progressively thicker. I’m loving the process. I wish it could move at a quicker pace, and I’m trying to make some adjustments in my working life that might reduce my income, but will give me so much more time to chase my heart’s desire. It takes sacrifice, but I think when we honor our gifts there are other rewards for us.
How do you overcome obstacles or avoid distractions that would or could keep you from manifesting the desire of your heart in your life?
Unfortunately, I struggle with this (distractions!)—I think everyone does. For years after college, my focus turned to teaching, which I love. But it’s time consuming, and my writing sort of slipped away for a number of years. I shouldn’t say I stopped writing altogether, because I often write with my students—as they’re working on an assignment, I’ll do the same. But working a piece all the way through to something that is polished and complete—the scope of that process was often interrupted (usually by a hundred student essays to grade). The point is: my writing wasn’t a priority. Just now, I’m thinking back to what Terry said to me—I haven’t thought about that in a very long time. She was warning me against the distraction, and I didn’t take her advice very well. I’m moving in a better direction now, I think. At least I’m more focused on the goal and am more aware of honoring the promises I’ve made to myself to manifest that desire.
From where do you draw your inspiration and motivation for making this desire of the heart a reality in your life?
Well, if we’re talking specifically about my current project, one of my main inspirations is my great-grandmother, because she’s the model for one of the main characters. I was so blessed to know my great-grandmother—she died when I was a teenager. She was a feisty little Irish woman, the life of the party—there were so many wonderful things about her. I don’t know if I was too young or if it wasn’t talked about or if I was just not paying attention, but it wasn’t until after she died that I learned about her unusual childhood. I can’t say that I’m writing her story, because I’m not, but I do talk to her often about her story and mine and I know she’s whispering in my ear when I sleep. In general, though, I find inspiration EVERYWHERE: in nature, in music lyrics, in painting, in reading, on the news, in dreams, in people-watching, in beautiful photographs, in cooking . . . in meditation and prayer. I think it’s important to speak your desires into God's ear — but it’s also important to be able quiet yourself enough to hear the answers, the direction, to be still enough to feel the pull of creative energy. I love the practice of listening. We should listen more.
Click here to hear the interview continue!
INSPIRING BIRD PODCAST 1
::::::: Hear All Good, See All Good, Say All Good, and Do All Good :::::::
0 comments:
Post a Comment