What if . . .you bought a 250ft x 15 inch roll of corrugated cardboard,

just because it was the right height for a book you were making. What would you do with the extra 249 ft and six inches of the roll?

First, I would share it with my students, who also are making a book that is 15 inches tall.

And then I’d make a giant coffee cup sleeve . . .

because my very creative, coffee-loving niece wanted to be this for Halloween:

Crazy idea becomes creative reality! What fun!

And I still have about 245 feet of corrugated cardboard…what would you use if for?

What if . . . you acted on one of your crazy ideas?

Take delight in the Lord,
    and he will give you the desires of your heart. (Psalm 37:4 NIV)

I like small books. They fit in your hands just so.

I like short readings. They take up just enough space to engage your mind and soul.

This book (pictured above) made its way into my hands a few years ago, when I was looking for some inspiration. It was just what I needed for that season of my life, and it still breathes fresh insight today.

Little books, which offer daily nourishment,  pile up next to my comfy chair. I choose one, and flip to the day at hand, drinking in the writer’s thoughts, as I sip my coffee.

Sometimes a crazy idea only has to be a small one to bring me to a cozy spot of contemplation.

Like today, the reading for November 1st, encourages me to pursue my interests and my crazy ideas, BEFORE I hustle to get some chores done this afternoon.

What’s one of you favorite daily reads?

 

The taskmasters were urgent, saying, “Complete your work, your daily task each day . . .” (Exodus 5:13 ESV)

Rest can be a crazy idea in a world where there is so much go. In fact last night, I was so tired from a full day that I forgot to write this post.

This morning it would be easy for me to get distressed. But instead I choose to rest, to pause, to give myself a break. To reset for a new day, curled up in my comfy chair tapping out these words on the screen.

Offering an invitation to rest, wherever you are at the moment you read this. Rest your eyes on the photo above. Or look around your surroundings and take in the nuances of light and shadow. Or grab something to write with and a scrap of paper. Scrawl the word, REST.

What thoughts arise, what feelings do you notice? Are you able to rest?

Another invitation:

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  (Matthew 11:28-29)

A few years back, I sorted my seasonal decorations by season. Christmas, Valentine’s and St. Patrick’s Day in the winter cabinet, Easter and flower themed decorations in the spring one, shells and picnic themed things in the summer one, and Halloween and Thanksgiving items in the autumn one. I even labeled them. Not sure why, since I’m the main person who decorates the house for special occasions. It’s probably not that crazy to sort decorations by season.

Then I had this crazy idea that more of my things could be organized based on the seasons. As you know, if you’ve been reading this series, I have been on a quest to sort and organize my books. I was so proud of myself for getting most of my books back on the two dedicated shelves in the basement. I called my husband over to show him how I categorized some of the books. I told him “These four shelves are sorted by season.” And he replied, “Huh?!” and walked away before I could explain.

I used to sort my books by topic, like writing, art, fiction and non-fiction. Sorting by topic can be very useful when you’re looking for a particular book. But my mission in going through my books was more than creating a reference library based on categories, I wanted a system that encouraged me to read and use the books that I own. I would be more likely to read my books, if they were organized in a creative, inviting way.

I love the seasons, and thought it would be fun to peruse my stacks of books, asking myself which ones I would read or relate to during the various moods of the year, based on their seasonal ambiance. I really looked forward to this sorting adventure, because I had no idea how I was going to decide.

The easiest group was my collection of Christmas books; they were placed on the winter shelf, unless one was too tall, then I put it on the shelf for tall books. (I also have a shelf for short books, meaning height not length.) So, after the Christmas books were situated, it made sense to place Easter books on the spring shelf, then my book about shells landed on the summer shelf, and the books with autumn hued covers found their place on the fall shelf.

When it came to fiction selection, I determined their season by either the first season mentioned in the book or if there was a particular time of year I read the book, then I put it on the corresponding shelf. No wonder my husband walked away before I could explain myself.

The crazy thing is that this process made me so happy. And I know that my system makes not logical sense, but that’s okay with me. I hope you find a really, cool and crazy way or even, a cool and logical way to catalogue your books. But most of all, if you have books, I hope you read and enjoy them.

What is one of your favorite books? What do you like about it? Do you remember what season you read it in? How do you organize your books?

Here’s some photos of the seasonal shelves:

They are like trees planted along the riverbank,
    bearing fruit each season.
Their leaves never wither,
    and they prosper in all they do. (Psalm 1:3 NLT)

I’m afraid of sharp tools. It’s not that crazy to be afraid of things that can cut you or injure you or cause you pain. For most of my grown life I avoided xacto knives, carving tools and power tools, especially the circular saw.

Fear of pain, along with the fear of failure used to be barriers to my creative pursuits. I can now say that I have used a circular saw with confidence. My mom and sister and I have been known to make home improvements on the weekend. Their courage and know-how provided me a safe place to overcome my fear, and learn a new skill.

On Fridays, I offer art classes in my home. My fellow art enthusiasts trust me to lead them on a creative journey each time we gather. I am honored by their trust.

Each class though, I’m accompanied by fear. Fear of failure, like what if I can’t explain or demonstrate the concept right. Fear of pain, what if someone cuts themselves with an xacto knife. Fear of disappointment, what if one of us doesn’t like the end product. Pretty much all of those fears do show up. Sometimes, I acknowledge my fear out loud, and that seems to put us all at ease.

Today, we carved stamps. I admitted my fears. I gave them a writing prompt to explore their own fears. Next, I explained the process to them, while demonstrating the techniques. We practiced our carving skills on a small eraser first, to show the fears that we weren’t easily intimidated.

Soon after practicing, everyone was grabbing their carving tools, deciding and drawing their designs, and gently and happily carving away . . . and thankfully no one cut themselves!

It is okay to be afraid. It is okay to take risks, too.

Did you ever notice that facing our fears can build confidence?

You came near when I called on you; you said, ‘Do not fear!’ (Lamentations 3:57)