In case you were wondering where I've been (you were, weren't you?), I have not actually dropped off the face of the Earth. I was at my church all last week (Sunday through Sunday) for my baby - the performing arts camp.
You may recall me mentioning this camp on a previous post. Our happy campers arrive on Monday having never seen our music or the script, and by Friday they are ready to perform the entire musical from memory. I have come to believe that only kids could do this - and they do it very well! Our performance on Friday night was amazing and incredibly inspiring. Each year I think, "There is no way we'll top this." And then we do!
In church on the Sunday following our camp, we watched a video-taped sermon from our denomination's Annual Conference. The pastor was wonderful, and he had a message that really spoke to me. The question he asked was, "What would you do, if you knew you could not fail?"
Our campers last week exemplified this concept. I'm not sure that adults would be able to do what these 6-13 year old kids did - learn all of their lines (and there were many), the blocking, and the lyrics and motions to all of the songs...in five days!
The kids have an advantage: it never occurred to them that they might fail.
As adults, failure seems to be the only thing we think about. As the song says, "We never failed to fail, it was the easiest thing to do."
I love to write, but I've never taken the idea of writing as a career seriously. I'm so concerned that I might fail, that failing is all I do.
I've decided to dare to fail, and take writing as a career more seriously.
I might fail.
Then again...I might not.
Thank you so much for writing this. I have tears in my eyes. I was just telling my husband that I felt irresponsible in my writing pursuits. What if this doesn't work like I feel in my bones it will? I'm thankful he believes in me more than I do in myself, but I've got to remember what you said here, "The kids have an advantage: it never occurred to them that they might fail." That line hit me like a ton of bricks. Thank you for being my encouragement tonight. And, that camp sounds amazing!
ReplyDelete@lori - you're right, the camp was amazing! It was uplifting (and exhausting)
ReplyDelete@Narrator - If I couldn't fail? I'd do two camps next summer. You game?
@ Lori - So glad to encourage!
ReplyDelete@ Dan - you are a sick human being...that's what I like about you!
What a great way to look at this. I hope that you shoot for it. We worry too much about the negative!
ReplyDeleteGrreat post thanks
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