We don’t have TV at home, but it seems when we travel and my son eagerly goes to the Cartoon Network, I have to watch Ninjago — a brilliant scheme in merchandising where the Ninjago lego sets come to life and fight battles for hours on end (or so it seems to me). And the little characters reach their “full potential” every few episodes where they have a little epiphany about themselves, glow white, spin and then have super powers.
I love writing. It makes me very happy. And it haunts me when I avoid it. And yet, I wonder sometimes if I am not glowing white and spinning. Maybe because I don’t seem to have any superpowers yet. Some would argue there are no superpowers coming. Sounds right. But I do wonder if I turned my back on writing, pursued something else I enjoyed, if I would glow and attain super-lego strength.
I see this in others. People doing one thing very well, and yet I can imagine them living a different life and glowing white hot. Holly would be an amazing minister and Sage would set students on fire as a teacher. I feel like I am a better non-fiction writer than fiction. Maybe just hours put in determining that. And yet there are different things on my “other” list — Meteorologist (or storm chaser) or caring for very young children. Weird, eh? And so different from writing.
But don’t worry, I’m not quitting. I’m never quitting writing. No point. I can write AND chase storms. I can write about chasing storms. I’m just struck this week by the wide open space that is life and how damn unfair it is that I only get 80 years if it all sorts out well.
In related news, Groupon sent me a message today with this title: Anti-boredom deal: You might Only Live Once. Funny because it’s how we think all too often.
Thank you Jamie. You’re too kind. And you’re also correct. As always.
As Anne Lamott just said on Twitter: None of us will be remembered. Not you, me, not even Claire McCaskill or Snookie. Surrender; do what you love; create, love, laugh, serve.
I already like the way you glow as you do. That said, I heard in a song today, “There is absolutely no other purpose in life than changing…” It resonated with me. Final thought, the ultimate doing is fully being. I think we, as a culture, do too much and be too little. When we’re 80, will it be the book we wrote or the sunset we watched?
Blah, blah, blah. Sorry to be quasi-philosophical.