I’ll start by sharing these song lyrics that have been running through my head all day. The song is by Bob Bennett, a singer-songwriter my parents really enjoyed when I was growing up. His songs have stuck with me, and I still think he’s an amazing lyricist.

Hand of Kindness*

I’ve no need to be reminded

Of all my failures and my sins

For I can write my own indictment

Of who I am and who I’ve been

I know that grace by definition

Is something I can never earn

But for all the things that I may have missed

There’s a lesson I believe that I have learned

There’s a hand of kindness

Holding me, holding me

There’s a hand of kindness

Holding me, holding onto me

Forgiveness comes in just a moment

But sometimes the consequences last

And it’s hard to walk inside that mercy

When the present is so tied up to the past

In this crucible of cause and effect

I walk the wire without a net

And I wonder if I’ll ever fall too far

But that day has not happened yet

And in the raven dark

There shines a distant light

It seems to point at me

It burns away the night

Familiar figure on horizon

Moving closer now I see

His heart is shining like the sun

And He is reaching out for me

With a hand of kindness

He’s holding me, holding me

There’s a hand of kindness

Holding me, holding onto me

Holding on … a hand of kindness

*from the album Small Graces

Sometimes household chores seem endless. They seem like a hindrance to creativity, because they take so much time. A lot of days, I don’t feel like doing them at all. But some days, like today, I take joy in these tasks because I see the result: my work helps my home become a space of peace and beauty.

I like the term homemaking. Probably because I love home and I love making. Doing the dishes every day, changing the bed sheets, scrubbing the bathtub – all these tasks are part of making a home. That thought encourages me; it helps me remember that time spent cooking and cleaning is not time lost to creativity. In its own way, homemaking is creative work.

This song has been my working song for the past several months. It reminds me that everyone has daily tasks to accomplish – tasks that will have to be performed all over again the next day. We can whine about it, or we can “sing for the beauty that’s to be found.” I’d rather sing.

You know how good music can lift you up and seemingly take you into a different place? This show did that for me.

One song in particular has been in my head for the last few days. Enjoy it!

And go see Washington Mile at the High Dive on September 29th. They’re amazing.

My favorite quote on perfectionism comes from Anne Lamott’s book on writing, Bird by Bird. I love this quote, because I think it’s right on.

I think perfectionism is based on the obsessive belief that if you run carefully enough, hitting each stepping-stone just right, you won’t have to die. The truth is that you will die anyway and that a lot of people who aren’t even looking at their feet are going to do a whole lot better than you, and have a lot more fun while they’re doing it.

Lamott also points out that if you are obsessed with being perfect, you’ll never allow yourself to create the perfectly awful rough draft that is the necessary first step in the process of making something beautiful.

… Just wanted to share that in case there are any other perfectionists out there who need to give themselves a break and allow themselves to enjoy the messy imperfection of the creative process. Please, be creative, get messy, and have fun!

Make a mess!

I actually think that having a regular routine can be great for creativity. And it’s often while I’m doing other daily tasks that I have the ideas that later become creative projects. When I’m busy, the problem is not lack of inspiration; it’s the difficulty of carving out time to actually sit down and write, or sit down and draw, or to try a new recipe in the kitchen. But slowly I’m getting there. This weekend I completed a pen and ink drawing. Tonight I made basil coconut curry for the first time. And at this moment, I am writing a blog entry.

The cycle of the work-week and household chores takes a lot of time and a lot of energy. And when I’m not busy with those things, it’s easy just to crash. But I know that I need to make time for creative work, or I won’t feel complete. So I’m trying to seize the moments I can, to not worry about being perfect (because I don’t have time for perfectionism), and to “add to the beauty” in small ways when I get the chance.

How do you find time for creativity in your busy schedule?

Buying Shakespeare is cheap. Used bookstores are always well-stocked with his plays. And even if you can’t find a used copy, buying new isn’t expensive either.

It may surprise you how quickly you can read one of Shakespeare’s plays. They’re not that long; after all, they’re written to be performed within the span of a couple hours. Yes, the language sometimes requires explanation, but generally, the plays are well-footnoted. Footnotes help a lot.

Most of all, I recommend reading and watching Shakespeare because it’s great human drama. There’s a reason that Hamlet and Macbeth have been part of the collective consciousness for four centuries. They are such human characters, dealing with life and death. And, when it comes to the comedies, you’ll be amazed at how funny Shakespeare can be to this day, when performed by great actors.

Remember, reading AND watching is the best way to experience Shakespeare. To learn more about how you can see Shakespeare for free in Seattle during July and August, check out this post from last summer. Some of the details have changed, but the links will still take you to the places you need to go.

I’ve been adjusting to a new work schedule over the past few weeks, and that’s left little time for blogging … or reading. Still, I have managed to squeeze in a little reading here and there, and when I get the chance, I read a chapter or two of Anne of Green Gables. It has been at least 15 years since I last read the Anne books, but last month, I got the urge to read them again. I’m having a lot of fun doing so.

Although the Anne books weren’t on my initial list of summer reading recommendations, I think I ought to add them. After all these years, Anne remains a delightful character. I identify with her imagination as much now as I did when I was a girl. I still love watching her unfolding romance with Gilbert.

Rereading Anne is like rediscovering a flavor of ice cream I enjoyed as a child. It’s light and sweet, and it brings back summery memories. It’s great summer-time reading.

(Bonus points if you start reading it today – Canadian literature on Canada Day!)

For some “lighter” reading, try George MacDonald’s The Light Princess. If you can get the edition illustrated by Maurice Sendak, all the better.

This is a quick read – a longish short story or a shortish novella, however you care to look at it. As in all of MacDonald’s stories, the imagery is beautiful, and there are scenes that remain vivid in my imagination years after my first reading. However, this story is lighter in tone than most of his other fairy tales, and it works its way to a very satisfying ending. It’s funny, airy, and sweet, but surprisingly profound.

I don’t want to give away too much of the plot, but if you’d like to know more about the book before diving in, read the Amazon.com review by Doug Thorpe (under Editorial Reviews). I think it describes this story perfectly.

This is probably the only novel about rabbits to ever reach #1 on the bestseller list. Some call it a children’s book, but I don’t think it is. And I wouldn’t exactly classify it as a fantasy, either; it’s more of an epic myth akin to The Iliad and The Odyssey.

Unlike the characters in The Wind in the Willows or the Redwall books, the rabbits of Watership Down aren’t anthropomorphic creatures, wearing clothes and drinking ale; they are just rabbits. Their desires are therefore the most basic animal desires: survival, food, safety. But these simple desires lead them into epic journeys, raids, and battles. Because the characters are such small and common creatures living in a hostile world full of dangers and predators, their story becomes a story of remarkable courage.

Richard Adams writes beautifully, and the story’s rolling landscapes and wide open spaces are part of what makes this book feel like summer to me. It’s not light reading; the story takes its time to get going, and my copy is almost 500 pages long, but Watership Down is definitely a story worth reading and one that, for me, carries the flavor of summer. It’s also one of the stories that inspired the title of this blog.

Memorial Day has passed, and I declare it to be officially summer reading season. As far as I know, summer is the only season that gets assigned its own category of reading.  But for me, many books belong to a particular time of year. And because books and seasons are two of my favorite things, I enjoy acting as a sort of book sommelier and pairing good books with their appropriate seasons. In late winter, when Spring feels long in coming, I’d recommend The Secret Garden. I’d suggest beginning The Lord of the Rings when the first autumn frost covers the ground; I recommend enjoying it while wrapped in a blanket, drinking chai and eating cinnamon toast.

But summer reading is what concerns us now. Over the next few days, I’d like to share some of my favorite warm-weather, blue-sky books. Please tell me about some of your favorites too. Talking about books is almost as fun as reading them.