Community

There's a dent in the side of the house
 where the tree originally struck.

 Recently, I was in northern Utah when a tornado struck. I was in Layton, and although the tornado didn't touch down there, sustained winds were 50-100 mph. It blew in, swirling like a giant leafy stew, bringing rain along with it.

Garbage cans sailed up the streets, the

debris

neighbor's trampoline blew up over the fence, along the side of my sister's house ending in a mangled mess in the tree in her front yard. Trees uprooted, or split, shingles blew, power lines were down, traffic was a nightmare.

truck hauling away debris

But here's what blew me away--pardon the pun--the storm had no sooner hit than my nephews grabbed their gear and headed into the pouring rain to start the cleanup. FIVE HOURS later they returned. They are amazing. For the next three days, they and the people in the community joined the

another lost tree

downed fence

cleanup effort with trucks, chainsaws, man power, donuts, pizza, water bottles, traffic directors, cheerleaders, little kids, big kids, grandparents. It still overwhelms my senses and makes me

rainbow after the storm

emotional. This is a tribute to the workers big and small, to the example this community is to the world. Get out and get it done. Don't wait for someone else to solve the problem (and government can never solve a problem as efficiently as YOU can). Way to go Team Layton!

Challenge

Fred Devito said, "If it doesn't challenge you it doesn't change you."   

Kelly Clarkson sings it this way, "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger/a fighter."

Or for you Barbie fans, "If I wasn't meant to fly, I wouldn't have these wings."

We are meant to fly, to learn, to grow. We cannot know the joy if we never experience the sorrow. We cannot know our inner strength until it is tested.

What are some of your challenges from yesteryears? How did they help shape you? What challenges are you facing right now?

A couple of years ago, an author that I was following like a good fangirl does, posted that she was taking down her work and would henceforth write under another name because of all the criticism to the writing she had posted.

I was devastated. I thought her writing, though rough--as she stated prior to each posting, was brilliant. I particularly loved her extensive vocabulary, her strong female characters, and the witty dialogue. I still go back occasionally to her stories I have on my Kindle, and, yes, every blue moon I do a search to see if I can find her. Fractional success there.

We don't know another's path or challenges. Our criticism of the small part could be a tipping point.

My challenge to all of us is to encourage rather than criticize, to listen instead of ignore, to offer kindness and a smile rather than an obscenity.

I also know YOU have amazing gifts and talents to share. Sure, you may just be starting out, but don't give up.

Be a fighter. Learn what you need to learn and SHARE your gifts.

I'll end with a beautiful quote from Helen Walton, "It's not what you gather but what you scatter..."

Scatter sunshine.

Perfection--Is It Worth the Effort?

Strawberry shortcake, Nadia Comaneci (1976), Randy Johnson (05/18/04), a 300 score in bowling... All signify perfection. Yes, strawberry shortcake is perfection. Ask my taste buds.

In church on Sunday, the speaker shared a story (and I tried to find it, but couldn't) about an experiment the military did. The test group first measured the strength of their individual grips. Under hypnosis, they were told they were weak and sick. Their grip strength was then measured, the results, predictably, were less than the initial measurement. Hypnotized again, they were told how strong they were. I'm sure you see where this is going: the results were considerably higher than the baseline measurement.

Do we choose to listen to the negative side of striving for perfection (it's not possible, so why try?), or do we continue to work hard to reach it and in doing so bypass our expectations and perceived abilities?

Which path will you choose? Learn all you can, strive to be perfect (even if it's just one area like grammar or time committed each day to perfecting your craft), and as always, Write On my friends!

Obstacles. What are yours?

Atsushi at the Grand Canyon

The Grand Canyon is, no doubt, a masterpiece. Over millions of years, a river carved out this deep and colorful chasm. We do not have millions of years to build our masterpieces, but we do have obstacles in our winding path of creation.

Things that hold us back may range from poor use of our time to lacking self confidence to difficult seasons in our lives. But what is it you really want to do? What is one thing you can give up to do it?

A while ago, I read a fabulous book, Faithful, Fit, and Fabulous, by Connie Sokol. It changed how I saw my time and that I could make tiny changes that would have a significant impact. I had wanted to read to my children, but the time never seemed consistent or right. The bedtime routine went something like this: brush teeth, get in bed, mom hangs out playing on her phone while kids go to sleep. I decided that I would give up playing on my phone and read to them while they fell asleep. It wasn't that I suddenly had more time or a better time, it was that I gave up something I'd been doing for something that I really wanted. I found that it worked far better than I thought it would.

This week's challenge it to make one tiny change. What is it you really want? One tiny change--what will it be?