PAUSE – 15.02 – Sharpen Your Pencils Today
Reflection: My grandson, Ethan, loves to draw. Inspired by video games and animations, he creates delightfully quirky characters all his own.
Last year we gifted him with a box of drawing pencils, a new sketchpad and a cool pencil sharpener. He was thrilled.
When I recently asked him how he liked the pencils, he told me he hadn’t used them yet. He is saving them up to draw something really good. He doesn’t want to waste them, to sharpen them down, and use them up too fast.
I encouraged him to crack that box open now, and promised that when they were all used up I’d buy him another set. No special occasion required.
At nearly eight years of age, he seems already to have adopted a ‘save the good things for later’ mindset.
It’s the same kind of thinking that causes us as adults to keep the good china safely in the cabinet, a vintage car locked in the garage, a special dress or a tux under plastic in the closet, and a fine bottle of wine tucked away in the dark of the basement.
That kind of thinking can also lead us to keep our best talents – our light and our uniqueness – hidden under a proverbial bushel basket.
What are we waiting for? Why are we robbing ourselves of the joy of using these fine and beautiful things?
Action: Do something daring today. Pour a cup of tea in that fine china cup. Drive that car. Wear that outfit, Open that bottle. Sharpen those pencils, and draw up a storm.
Who says the good things in life are in limited supply and must be hoarded for later?
More to the point, we never know just how much ‘later’ we actually have.
What a shame to let the good stuff waste away.
Quotes Of The Week: Don’t just seize the day. Seize the moment. Every single one. – Calvin Wade
Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year. – Ralph Waldo Emerson
It’s a terrible thing, I think, in life to wait until you’re ready. I have this feeling now that actually no one is ever ready to do anything. There’s almost no such thing as ready. There’s only now. And you may as well do it now. Now is as good a time as any. – Hugh Laurie
Resource Of The Week: If you enjoyed today’s Pause message, you might also appreciate Loretta LaRoche’s book: Life is Short, Wear Your Party Pants
To really lighten up your day, search out Loretta LaRoche’s You Tube. Watching a few of those is guaranteed to put a grin on your face and a smile in your heart.
Readers Write: In response to last week’s message, Are You Asking A Beautiful Question, Pause reader SM writes: Great post this week. I have found that the power is in the questions – thinking about them and using them. It engages your brain as opposed to stewing in the muck of emotion.
Editor’s Note: Thanks so much to all of you who made the time to weigh in and share your comments on the future of Pause. I’m taking all your suggestions and comments to heart as I map out a plan for the months ahead. I’ll keep you in the loop as a new direction unfolds.
Tags: appreciation, attitude, carpe diem, encouragement, now, Pat Katz, Patricia Katz, pause, perspective, Saskatoon, seize the day, speaker