Eternal Appetite for Infancy Source
Quite a few people commented and sent me messages about the life-altering quote from G. K. Chesterton on repetition. I thought it might be good to tell you the source of this in case you want to read this fantastic book yourself. The quote is from the 4th chapter called “The Ethics of Elfland.” Doesn’t that chapter title just make you want to read it all the more? Here is a beautiful centennial version of Orthodoxy along with the quote again. Because children have abounding vitality, because they are in spirit...
read moreAn Eternal Appetite for Infancy
At a recent conference, Betty Todd Smith, a wonderful conference presenter said, “Children never tire of repetition. It is we adults who hate the monotony of repetition.” That sentence really struck a chord with me as a piano teacher. I am also trying to think of ways to make the repetition more interesting to the student, but perhaps I am the one that gets bored. A few days later, my husband reminded me of this beautiful and even more life-altering quote about repetition given by G. K. Chesterton: Because children have...
read moreSpiritus Mundi
Here is a poem by Kansan Amy Fleury that I am currently mulling over and is this weeks’ featured Inspiration Point. Spiritus Mundi Listen around to the long sentence the land is saying, to the wind rumoring through the aggregate of grasses. Hear the soft explosions of all that is tilled under, a scumble of clods cleaved by the blade, the sheared leavings of wheat, and memory, memory, a root system still drilling down, searching out moisture, anything that’s useful, anything dear. Do you recognize your own...
read moreWhat I Gave…[Inspiration Point]
The Latin phrase sic transit gloria mundi means ‘thus passes the glory of the world’. Watts shortened it because his subject ‘was not so much the passing of the glory of the world but rather the end of all human existence’. The foreground objects symbolize the futility of material wealth. The ermine, used on robes of state, denotes power; the lute and book refer to the Arts; the laurel crown and goblet to fame and luxury; the armor and weaponry to military victory. The inscription reads ‘What I spent, I had, What...
read moreDistractions: From the same device for work and play
I struggle with distractions like everyone else, but as an entreprenuer and self-employed individual, distractions can mean a loss of money or the slowing of a project. I thought Seth Godin had a great explanation for my specific situation: One reason for this confusion [being engaged with activities that feel like work, but aren't], is that we’re often using precisely the same device to do our work as we are to distract ourselves from our work. The distractions come along with the productivity. The boss (and even our honest selves)...
read moreWhat is the Creative’s Biggest Flaw?
Sometimes it seems like there are thousands of articles and blogs talking about creativity, so I find that they often repeat the same things I’ve heard over and over. But, when someone is honest about the negative parts of their own creative personality, I pay attention. This short excerpt from the article, “10 Creativity Tips from Donald Miller” helped motivate me to make some major progress on some projects this week: I think half the battle of a creator is in finishing their projects. I wonder how many of the world’s...
read moreWhere Do Good Ideas Come From? [Inspiration Point]
Steven Johnson has a great white board animation that describes his view of where good ideas come from. He suggests that though the internet has distracted us, it has also given us many more ways of connecting with people which is one of the places we get new pieces of information to combine with our hunches, resulting in great ideas. The connectivity between people seems to be a critical factor in his theory on creativity. Johnson says, “Chance favors the connected mind.” It’s a beautiful 4 minute lesson to...
read moreA Mental Squint [Inspiration Point]
Today’s inspiration point is from Lewis Carroll: When you are describing, A shape, or sound, or tint; Don’t state the matter plainly, But put it in a hint; And learn to look at all things, With a sort of mental squint. I like this because it reminds me that everything is not as it first seems. Every object, person, chemical, song, etc. has layers and layers of complexity. When I live my life acknowledging that there is “more beyond,” I am suddenly fascinated by every detail and seek to learn what it has to teach me....
read moreFortune or Virtue [Inspiration Point]
Today’s Inspiration Point comes from Beethoven, Recommend virtue to your children; it alone, not money, can make them happy. I speak from experience.
read more
Follow Us!