Sometimes when we’ve been working hard or spinning our wheels, rest it what we need most.
But, never forget about WHIMSY!
This week I was working on a new project and I could just tell I needed whimsy.
What is it exactly?
Whimsy is caprice. It’s playful or humorous behavior. It’s the opposite of work and taking yourself too seriously.
If you are burned out, give it a try.
Here are some ways:
• Do something you did as a kid (a game, an activity, a piece of art, hopscotch, legos, build a card house, color, whatever you want.)
• Whistle. (People don’t whistle much anymore. It’s a crisis of scarce whimsy. Just pick something and do it.)
• Create something for nothing but the fun of it. No one even has to see it. Exuberance and a no-holds-barred attitude is key!
• Sing or hum or play an instrument.
• Whatever made you belly laugh last time? Do that again.
• Tell a friend or family member a funny (or whimsically embarrassing) story and invite one from them.
Just 5-10 minutes of pure whimsy works wonders!
What did I do? I made something whimsical. I call it a “Whimsy Box”.
(People have said that just looking at this makes them feel a creative burst coming on!)
Each Whimsy Box is one-of-a-kind and tells a story.
It’s part art, part whimsical tale, part conversation piece, and part interactive inducer of creative tsunamis. Some Whimsy Boxes have a bona fide riddle about them or mystery to solve. Others play music, make a noise, have moving parts, or light up somehow–like this one!
(Sorry…this one is SOLD. If you’d like one, though, contact me.)
A “selfie” is a photo taken of one’s self, by one’s self. It’s the shortened word for “self-portrait”.
Websters Dictionaries made this word the Word of the Year in 2013.
Capturing the occasional “selfie” is no big deal…but the #1 thing I hate about smart phones is epitomized in this screen shot of the short film entitled “I Forgot My Phone”:
It’s < The kissing or wedding proposal “Selfie” > (ECK! skin crawling.)
This reaction could also be because I’m not in my twenties.
And I wonder…does this make me rustic and uncultured?
See the whole short film here featuring Charlene deGuzman. It’s a great 2 minute piece of critique that is so accurate that it hardly fits into the category of satirical exaggeration, and maybe that was the point.
(Really the only unrealistic part is the guy actually making a phone call. I’m not sure that happens too much at all…unless someone is driving, of course. 4-6 p.m. and 8-10 a.m. I think I see a few people making phone calls behind the wheel. Texting has overshadowed realtime voice-to-voice interaction, like email did in the 1990s.)
The piece also emphasizes, by omission, the potential benefits of “forgetting” your mobile phone in order to experience life more fully. See what you think of it.
To be clear, I’m guilty of overusing my phone. Time to update my Rule of Life that includes boundaries here.
It was great to read a stellar review by Crystal Hurd, too. Crystal is a C.S. Lewis scholar and Lewis makes several appearances within the pages of “Dog in the Gap” thanks to my co-author Doug, a celebrated C.S. Lewis enthusiast and scholar in his own right. (He may be reluctant to tout it, but I’m fine telling you that he was even invited to the UK to present a paper on C.S. Lewis recently.)
But back now to the good tidings!
Enjoy this EXCERPT from Crystal Hurd’s blog:
Lewis writes in his non-fiction work The Four Loves, ‘Emerson has said, ‘When the half-gods go, the gods arrive.’ That is a very doubtful maxim. Better say, ‘When God arrives (and only then) the half-gods can remain.’ In other words, when we fall under the all-wise (and therefore safe) authority of the One God, we can carry out our God-given responsibilities without becoming tyrants. And among those responsibilities is the duty to woo the rational and relational in the lower animals. Humanity’s creation in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:26) means, among other things, that we carry an inborn desire to sub-create rational begins and have relationships with them.
What great truth is this. Have we ever considered that our responsibility to animals is molded after God’s responsibility of His children? And as His children, do we always carry this responsibility with the same fervent devotion and attention that He offers to us? It completely redefines the relationship I have with my pets and by extension to the animal kingdom at large. Not only do we forge important relationships with animals and gain substantial perspective (and companionship), but we also please our Father, the author and creator of Love who is the Great Architect of deep and meaningful connections.
I’m concerned that my daughter won’t do well in life. Why? Tenacity.
Tenacity is what separates the successful from the naturally gifted.
Having a high IQ should be a good thing. It can be, but it can make a person (potentially) very lazy. For instance, it can make you try less. So, why work hard at school (to learn new things), if the grade come easy?
A lack of struggle will hold actually us back from achieving success in the future.
Smarts can mean that when you run into a problem you quits because you hate the feeling of struggling.
The only way to get into a practice of being tenacious is to make sure that some things are fought for.
We will want to take short cuts. We want to skip the work. But, we can’t.
It’s about dogged tenacity!
That’s what I’ve been striving for with doggedly promoting my book about dogs and how having them makes a big difference in ways I never realized. In the last few weeks it’s been a lot of work! It’s hard but the success is worth the pain and toil. The success isn’t the money–it’s in the process of the work itself. The joy is in knowing you are doing something you love even though it’s tough.
I’m sometimes surprised at how much has been accomplished. The project has gone from zero to hero with hundreds of people excited about the release, on August 19th (2013). It’s exciting.
So, back to the recipe:
The recipe for tenacity…for you and me, is to try things that are too hard for us. Try what is uncomfortable until it doesn’t bother you any more.
And other things too:
1. Meet fear head-on.
2. Combat, “I might fail.” with “I’ll learn something no matter what.”
3. Persist and when you feel like letting up…rest for just a tiny bit and then persist again.
I’m inspired by the dogged tenacity of a dog on the fetch. The dog pictures of Underwater Dogs capture it well.
So, on that note, please join a whole pack of us as we get ready to doggedly put the puppy into the splashy, so to speak. Let’s do this!
Photo is the an incredible artist Seth Casteel, photographer of the best-selling and amazing book “Underwater Dogs”.
“What a refreshing read! And by refreshing, I mean not only crisp prose and photos that are–wait for it–so doggone cute! but true living water for the spirit. This collection of small essays by two different stylists not only celebrates the wonderful relationships of humans and their best friends, it examines the spiritual significance of ownership, training, domestication, and companionship. Doug Jackson and Lisa Colon Delay complement one another: one will write about a specific experience (the true “Labrador” nature of her pup) and then the other will challenge the reader with questions about animal souls, using sources as varied as C.S. Lewis and St. Francis. Hard for the Christian reader to finish this treat of a book without wanting to do two things–share the book and volunteer at the local animal shelter. Thanks, Doug and Lisa, on behalf of the sweet souls that cannot speak for themselves!”
From Michelle Moore Mitchell:
“Just finished reading the review draft. I want more! … Not sentimental — but lots of tears. I’m going to read it again, starting tomorrow. This time, a chapter a day, so I can live with, experience, think about, and feel what is there more fully….”
From Clark Roush:
“Only on page 30, and I can already confidently declare you will want to read “Dog in the Gap.'”
Would you be willing to write a review? Hooray! Use the contact form here.
ONLY 7 days until you can get the much anticipated book I’ve written with esteemed professor and long-time pastor Doug Jackson.
WHAT’S SO COOL
I’m really proud of the content and layout of this book. For instance:
• Nearly all of the 88 pages include a captivating photo which really adds a lot to the experience.
• Anyone who’s had a dog they loved will “get this” book (both editions). It’s powerful. It put into words and takeaways those deep bonds and lessons we experience uniquely when we have a furry companion.
BONUS EDITION!
• The BONUS EDITION (will also be released on the same date) has well over 100 pages of extras, secret links to exclusive videos for this group, and plenty of extra photos and humor. (It’s the hardcore doggie fans Edition.) See below for the Charity component.
CLARITY It’s set up to be easy to read. It’s no dense tome. There are terrific stories and there’s plenty of material and insights even a non pet owner can enjoy.
CHARITY
• We are donating portions of the money you pay for the book (which is an affordable $2.99. You’d shell out $3 to help dogs, right?) to two local non-profits:
For me, it’s a low-cost spay and neutering clinic in Allentown, PA (named alliteratively: “No Nonsense Neutering“). They offer low cost services in Reading, Allentown and Quakertown, PA as a humane and preventative alternative to regulating overpopulation through euthanasia. (Unlike PETA who funds mass euthanasia programssecretly. “Fur is murder!” they say, but they have a mass extermination system in place for kittens, rabbits, and puppies. VIEWER CAUTION ADVISED: Previous link has some grisly and disturbing photos.)
VIDEO: Doug was kind enough to sit down and answer a few interesting questions on video for me. Some I’ve saved for the Bonus Edition for you super fans! You’ll have to hold tight patiently for a few more days!
In this video (just 80 seconds long) Doug shares what he thinks will most surprise readers about the book.
I hope you’re as excited as we are!
Want a sample to read for free?
Just sign up just below! We’ll be sending it out soon.
