Possibilities...

I don't know why, but always throughout my life I find themes happening.  That theme will pop up in more ways than one until it gets downright weird.  I will see it in books, movies, conversations, with friends, street signs, etc. etc.  Since I happen to believe in one that is bigger than I, I don't take this lightly.  I am slow to learn and slow to respond, but I do try to listen.   So in this past week the word has been "possibilities".  It started in an online chat with a friend.  The word popped up.   Hmm interesting.  Not that I haven't heard the term before, after all it is kind of a buzz word.  But it stood out to me in a new way, kind of like bold print, or a halo , or something. 

The next day my son told me about a documentary he had seen about Herbie Hancock, a great jazz pianist, and told me I must watch it.  Guess what?  The title of the documentary is 'Herbie Hancock, Possibilities."  Now that is interesting, I thought.  ( and I highly recommend this documentary because even though it only deals with musicians it's theme is about creativity.)   Possibilities again.  I was reading another Mrs. Pollifax book and there was a section about possibilities...and tonight, again at the recommendation of my son I watched a TED video featuring Benjamin Zander about Music and Passion  and he ended the video with a statement about Possibilities.   (TED is my new favorite internet site...highly recommend it.)  He said that he knew that his job was to awaken possibilities in other people and to leave them with shining eyes.

I think that is my job also...over everything that I do.  More than anything I love to awaken people to their possibilities.  I find people are often stuck, stuck in believing a certain truth about themselves.  Maybe it deals with what they learned about themselves as children from the people around them, or the path that life has put them on, because no matter what life is stinkin' hard,  or maybe they don't live in the place or house they dream of, or the people in their lives have hurt and disappointed them, or they are just struggling to get by.

I also find that people who should be unstuck are still stuck.  I try to find creative people and environments to inspire me.  But oftentimes I am disappointed.  Even among people who are creative there are few who really dare to push the envelope past what is safe.  They do what has already been tried by someone else, they stay safe.  Maybe they stay safe to themselves but they still stay safe.  I like to be safe, I do.  But there is also this rebel in me who wants to do what people say cannot be done.  I had an instructor at college tell the class that he never gave A's to first papers by first year students, NEVER.   Guess who got one, me.  It was a challenge and I took it.  He just had to say that word, never.  That thing is there inside me and there have been many years when I have stuffed it down and tried to do right in other's eyes.  Ignored the thing inside of me.  But it pops out at random times and sometimes gets me in trouble.   That is Thing one.  (thanks Dr Seuss, I love thing one and thing two.)

Thing two is this.  I like to stir up that rebel in other people.  I like to help people climb out of their box.  To push  their own boundaries.  That can get me in trouble also.  And both these things make me nervous because I like to be safe.  I will state that again.  But those things,  well I live with them.  And sometimes they just come out, so if someone says, walk this way, I will go the other, or it has to be done this way, I will find a new way.  And I realized that those things help me push my creativity to new places.

I really like Jackson Pollack.  Yes, people can do his technique and pour paint and splatter it, (and it is tremendous fun to do it).  But he was looking for something new, something that expressed the craziness that was inside of him.  So he did it first and it was new and different and it was great.  He was a mixed up person and a sad person, but he still gave a gift to the world because he pushed beyond safety.

Life is scary and there are no guarantees but it continually amazes me how many people I hear of who have been dealt the worst cards  seem to live the best life;  better and fuller than those of us who have it better with more options  and I wonder why that is.  Maybe those people have grabbed onto the theme of possibility in their life and haven't let people tell them it will NEVER happen.  If I can grab on to that theme for myself and help other people grab onto for themselves I will be happy.  If I can leave people with shining eyes...
Benjamin Zander on music and passion | Video on TED.com