PORCH TIME

Love’s spirit is filling you.

Be open to receive.

Take a deep breath.

Maybe two will do.

The tasks are still done

With wider vision, maybe more fun.

Most children regularly ask why.

What causes the tide to rise?
They might wonder about clouds.

Why is blue the color of the sky?

Perhaps they have visions we miss.

As adults we go first to logic.

The answer may seem obvious to us

So we overlook the question: what’s this?

Meaning.  It’s not a fancy word.

Yet, the answer, turned over

Might cause us to soar

Like the Albatross or a backyard bird.

Ten minutes, more or less.

Be open to wisdom.

For a moment reflect and go beyond

Whatever you call “the mess.”

Be watching for God's favor.

High Notes

Journey with me to a true commitment to our environment. Journey with me to the serenity of leaving to our children a planet in equilibrium.
Paul Tsongas 

This pictures is missing the one year old boy from our family who wears the shirt.   But I think we can all take a lesson from his name: Will.  :)

PORCH REFLECTIONS:

My friends, Randy and Jane, just took a road trip to Georgia.   Randy described seeing many houses with front porches and all variety of chairs, some that rock and others that don't.   A company of creative MN custom builders that I know has built access to the fireplace from the porch, so this idea can flow toward northerners.

What happens when people take time to sit on a porch?   Sitting in a state of relaxation can cause time and lists and goal directed action to slow or momentarily stop.  A porch can be a conversation place for two people from the same house or an invitation to neighbors walking by.  "How is your family?"

Ideas are like clouds floating by.  One has to slow down enough to catch them.   Porches can create a place for people to do that.

Do you have a porch? 

Do you have a place like a porch?

Porch like experiences might happen when you are anywhere and carried off by sounds of music.

It might happen when you are watching the bird feeder or watching hummingbirds drink nectar from the flowers.

Make room in your life for porch time!

Do not go where the path may lead.   Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.  Emerson

Genesis Creative Concepts
Promoting Natural Wonder

www.ltcarlson.com

Alaskan Beauty!!

Thank you, Michael and Laura, for this beautiful sample of Alaskan habitat!

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Learning Through Story.

Vicarious

1.  Experienced through another person rather than at first hand, by using sympathy or the power of   the imagination.

2.  Done or endured by somebody as a substitute for somebody else.

3.  Delegated to somebody else or performing a function that has been delegated.

Parents are sometimes given credit for living through the successes of their children.   This use of the word vicarious is sometimes viewed with a jaded eye because this experience can create unneeded pressure for a son or daughter and take away opportunity for the parent.

I recently read Influencer, The Power to Change Anything, Patterson, Grenny, Maxfield, and Switzeler, which gives several examples of the use of story and vicarious learning in a very deliberate and powerful way.   Oh yes, I took notes with my pen, but even more powerfully, I mentally took notes!

The examples given told about the use of TV stories, designed to show positively changed behavior related to a cultural issue.  It actually reminded me of a story I read one time of a researcher who taught words to her parrot by modeling the teaching with a lab assistant in sight of the parrot.   It all makes sense.

So, what are my mental notes?  Life learning is an active process.   I can be inspired by listening to music, but my neural network fires up in a new way when I make music.  I have said that I intend to write on my blog about personal use of creative principles.   You have heard me say before, Fill up.  Fill up.  Fill up.  Spill over

This week all of the accumulated reading about vicarious learning has spilled over.

JK Rowling has been my inspiration in many ways.  I follow her as a person and not the Harry Potter books.   Funny!  This week I was touched by her recent foray into publication under a pen name.  I also researched with the librarian, the Nancy Drew mysteries, a series which was written by several writers under a pen name, Carolyn Keene.   Nancy Drew was my first reading as a child related to a woman of independence, intelligence, and inquisitiveness.

"Daring to risk the uncertain…" is the first phrase of my definition of adventure.  There is a great deal of uncertainty about a writing project intended to teach and model vicarious learning, in this case future roles for women, through imagination.  But willingness to accept mistakes is an important part of the creative attitude.  Trying and exploring are good things and reflect a curious spirit.  Seeing with my spirit as well as my eyes has taken me down this path.

Curiosity I have.

Adventure I love. 

Stay tuned.   I plan to!