Beauty on the Backroads

Stories of grace for life's unexpected turns

imagination

The blessings and curses of creativity

God made me a creative. I’m no better or worse than someone who isn’t. It is what it is. Lately I’ve been realizing creativity is a blessing and a curse. With the following list, I’ll try to explain.

BLESSING: You’re never lonely. As a creative, I’ve always got characters and stories in my head. Or a good book within arm’s reach.

CURSE: People might think you’re antisocial because you prefer to spend your time in a made-up world.

BLESSING: The more you use it, the more you get. Sometimes the words or ideas won’t come until I start writing. Anything.

CURSE: It’s an unpredictable gift. Case in point, when I should have been packing myself for the overnight trip to take the kids to their grandparents, I was engrossed in a new writing assignment, letting the words that have been lodged in my head flow freely at last. I’ve been jotting notes about this assignment for days, in between other activities because I can’t take the time I need to sit down and write for a long period of time.

BLESSING: Your kids will ask you for “imagination stories” to put them to sleep.

CURSE: You will sometimes put yourself to sleep with your stories.

BLESSING: You tend not to be satisfied with “the way things are” thinking that everything can be improved upon. (This may also be a curse.)

CURSE: You will fight the urge to answer respectable questions like, “Where are the kids?” with ridiculousness like, “We sold them to the circus.” Or “We traded them in for a new pair of shoes.” People will not always find this as funny as you mean it.

BLESSING: You can do what you love and get paid for it.

CURSE: People might think you’re flighty, ditzy or lazy because you work with words for fun and get paid for it.

BLESSING: Your friends will think you’re clever with your Facebook posts and tweets. (Or at least you hope they will.)

CURSE: You’ll think you’re much funnier than you really are.

BLESSING: You’ll need LOTS of alone time to hone your art.

CURSE: You won’t get it because you have two kiddos demanding your attention. All. The. Time.

BLESSING: Your kids will enjoy being creative, too.

CURSE: They will interpret creativity as meaning it’s okay for them to color their entire legs green or draw dots on their faces.

BLESSING: You are full of ideas and opinions.

CURSE: You can’t turn it off.

And on that note, I leave you with this incomplete and possibly incoherent list.

Cheers!

Saturday Smiles: The Going Home Edition

What a crazy week!

I could tell you that it was crazy because my husband finished two papers for finals week, our van went in to the shop to fix a disturbing whining noise, and the kids and I spent most of our time washing clothes and dishes, packing and cleaning.

Or I could show you this.

Our son, doing a babushka impression.

Or this.

 Our daughter’s fashion sense. Headband. Cross necklace. Nightgown. It works for her. She’s either 3 or a fan of ’80s Madonna. I’ll let you decide.

I could tell you that the kids opened presents from the woman I call my English grandma because she’s a lady I befriended the semester I lived in England with whom I’ve kept in touch for more than a decade. She’s always sending us the neatest gifts for Christmas and birthdays.

Like this.

Mmm. Chocolate. Or in the words of our kids who have composed a new jingle for the company, “Cad-bury, Cad-bury. WE WANT SOME! WE WANT SOME!”

So to recap, busy parents plus inventive and creative children plus chocolate equals crazy.

The light at the end of the craziness was our planned trip home for the holidays. So craziness is worth it to be with family for two weeks.

Especially when we get to enjoy days that include this.

A walk through a forest to pick out a Christmas tree. In the snow. In practically the middle of nowhere. Bonus: the tree only cost $10. That’s some cheap entertainment and memory making right there.

Walking through a forest, even if it was “just” an overgrown Christmas tree farm sparked every ounce of creativity in me. I imagined stories as we tromped through the snow. And I wished for a magical sort of setting for my kids to play in as they grow. (Lord, hear my prayer.)

There was too much to smile about this week. Our van was fixed in time for us to take an 800-mile road trip. We only forgot a few things in the midst of our packing frenzy, and the one thing that makes the trip the most bearable — chewing gum for a car sick child — I remembered less than a block after we pulled away from our house. Thank you, Jesus.

Best of all, we made it to Illinois without any traffic or weather delays, with tired but smiling kiddos and tired but relieved parents.

My kids’ reaction to the snow, even if their first glimpse of it was 5 a.m. local time, was priceless. They thought the snow came to Illinois just for them.

My husband is snoring on the couch. The house is quiet. And my heart is full. We celebrated birthdays today as a family. My grandma’s — which is today — and our son’s from a few weeks ago. We cooked for our family tonight — our go-to beef stew recipe. We shopped all over town for ingredients and tracked down an appropriate pot to cook it in. We felt a little bit like participants in some sort of Food Network challenge as we rushed to beat the clock to have dinner ready in time. Then we watched with satisfied smiles as young and old devoured the stew.

The smiles escape for big reasons, like our daughter helping her Nana and Papa’s snowmobile club hand out food baskets to shut-ins. She was thrilled to say “Merry Christmas” to them and be involved in serving others. My heart smiles at her heart of compassion. And for small reasons, like the invention of family restrooms and their inclusion in interstate rest areas.

Familiar sights. Roads well-traveled. Family all around. The soft glow of Christmas lights on our newly picked tree. How our children thrive with their relatives.

If I go on, I won’t stop.

The smiles are stacking up, with more to come this week.

Thanks for indulging me in another week of smiles.