Timothy J. Pruitt's Blog, page 425
May 10, 2015
Mother’s Day(s)
Happy Mother’s Day… Yes that’s today, but any Mother will tell you, it’s more than once a year. When a child, small or grown, is successful in behavior or achievement, that is also a Mother’s Day.
We are all the result of a Mother’s days, even the tough ones . Those times when her hair wasn’t perfect, her clothes were a mess, and everything was chaotic, except her. I’m sure she had less than perfect days, but the important thing wasn’t perfection, it was consistency.
The most important factor in my life is the people that share it with me. The good days are great, but it’s the arms that support you in the bad ones that you’ll never forget. If I have someone who loves me in my corner, no matter how beat up, I can keep fighting.
That perseverance is one of my favorite things that my Mother has taught me. I’ve seen her with her back to the wall, but she always found a way. The only thing that wasn’t an option was giving up. People don’t know how to fight someone who doesn’t quit, they give long before you do.
I learned that from Mom, along with a passion for God, how to cook, and how to eat an elephant. A rim shot plays in your head as you think of the punchline, but it’s true. Any project that is bigger than I am, she taught me how to figure out how to accomplish it. One bite, or step at a time, even if the elephant is lifting a piece of furniture by myself.
Tenacity, perseverance, and consistency make up my best days, all of which are gifts modeled by my Mom. We are the benefactors of their everyday, most of which went uncelebrated. They weren’t filled with thank you’s, even though they should have been.
Today, we can fill their day with love. Let your Mother, and the world know, that you are here today because of her sacrifices. Spend a little time showing how thankful you are, for all the days she helped you through. After all, today is Mother’s Day.
PruittWrites Facebook Page
May 9, 2015
Acrylic: Cafe Alaska
We hope you enjoy an extra, unexpected post, thank you WordPress, the acrylic “Cafe Alaska”.
PruittWrites Facebook Page
The Sea Horse: The Dinner Party
“Welcome all to my rooftop event. I trust you all liked your invitations?” Hyperbole asked with all the flair of a ringmaster. Hovering to match the dramatic host, Carbuncle responded. “Diamonds are always a welcome invitation. Why did you send them?” Armor, who was very patient, attempted to appear otherwise. “More importantly, why are we here?”
He waived his fountain pen walking stick toward the city. “You are the elite in your field. I, a newcomer to this industry, wish to form an acquaintance.” The Wonzu laughed. “You wish to form an alliance.” “Oh no, nothing of the kind. No, for my plan to work, we must act completely independently from one another.”
An unknown gentleman in golfing clothes asked why. “I have a series of heists planned. If we are all active simultaneously then The Sea Horse and the others will not know who to stop. It will benefit us all.”
High Society asked. “What do you mean others?” “Surely you know, just as there are several strangers here, that our city contains more than one protector. The British Rose for example, he’s no villain. He is an agent the government put in place to spy onus. Hence why The Rose received no diamond invitation.”
The Rose, who was eavesdropping with a satellite link, wasn’t happy. His cover was blown, but now he could engage his persona a different way. He could patrol sectors of the city that The Sea Horse wasn’t working in. He had to make contact with Oceania’s Aquatic Guardian. If half of this group took Hyperbole up on his plan, Oceania would need every hero they could muster.
PruittWrites Facebook Page
May 8, 2015
May 6, 2015
The Benefits Of Boredom And Blockages
We dread them, whether they blindside us, or we keep one eye open for them, they are unwelcomed visitors. Boredom and creative blockages are two things that can snare up your day very quickly. Boredom brings with it an anxiety of, “I should be doing something. What am I missing?” Blocakges in creative thought have similar emotions tied to them.
Each of these terrible twins are viewed as something to abolish out of our lives completely. While Benjamin Franklin’s quote about house guests, these in particular, is true that they stink after three days, that doesn’t mean they are completely worthless. If used properly, these two can be made to work for us, and not against us. There are benefits to boredom and blockages, if you know where to find them.
We assume a bored or blocked brain is one of inactivity. Our anxiety over the boredom and blockage is proof that is not the case. What we can do is alter our activity during these blackout periods. Instead of allowing worry to control these periods, we can make them work for us.
The first is by remembering that every mind needs a period of calm. Short spaces of rest in these moments can fuel us instead of frustrating us. Our biggest fear during these times is that our brain will cease to act, or that it can never act again. Notice, we don’t view quitting time with the same fear. We know that after 8-12 hour shifts, we will rest, eat, relax, refuel, and then start again. The same is true of boredom and blockages.
When your mind is blank, and can’t find anything to do, then purpose to relax. Listen to music or some form of entertainment. Take a walk, or plan what you’re going to fix for dinner. In other words, allow little to light mental activity. That will give your brain the stimulus it misses without overtaxing it. It also will allow the pipeline to remain open for inspiration to walk through the door.
Many of life’s most productive periods came out of a period of inactivity. Einstein found this to be true, and what better inspiration for a painter than a walk? You aren’t doing nothing, you will create again, but you may simply be two steps ahead of your inspiration. Pause, and allow it to catch up with you.
The second thing we can prepare for this is by banking projects. In your overly creative times, set an idea, a project, or dream aside. In that mental factory in your head, place it in a box marked rainy days, and place it on your shelf. An idea chest like we talked about yesterday should have a rainy day list.
Even if every word, stroke of paint, lyric, or note you write during this period is absolutely horrible, record it. If nothing else, it will occupy the vacuum, and once the period is over, you can tweak what you have, or begin again. The key is not to eliminate the boredom, or shatter the block, they’ll both go in time. The object is to deal with the antagonistic emotions that whisper you’ll never be productive again.
“The boredom and blockage do not define you, but they can benefit you.”
Tweet This
The third way to deal with this is through perspective. The child who wants to ride their bike views a rainy day as a crime against nature. Her farmer Dad knows how much she likes to eat the melons, strawberries, and blackberries that the rain causes to grow. Just as the rain is good for the soil, boredom and blockages have benefits.
Beyond resting our brain, they should make us appreciate who we are, what we’ve been blessed with, and where we are in life. If we can, even for a minute, take inventory of all the good, then these two issues are instantly smaller in our eyes. As a writer I understand how concerning these two things can be, so no one is attempting to minimize them. Only to emphasize the other factors in our lives. Once we do that, it opens doors to the other avenues around us.
When we realize that Charles Dickens was more than a writer, but a man with an entire life beyond the written word, it gives us a new understanding of how he thought. If that is true of someone we read about, how much more is it about ourselves? You are more than how you feel at this moment, you’re more than your next project, or deadline. If you don’t produce something today, your spouse will still love you, your friends will still appreciate you, and your employer will still benefit from you.
Your body of work will be filled with good days and bad, slow times and fast paced ones. The good thing about that is, if you are a consistent person, people can only look back on your work. They can’t touch, taste, or hold those times when you were bored or blocked. The boredom and blockage do not define you, but they can benefit you. They are only roadblocks along the way, don’t allow them to unnerve you. Place an exit sign and a convenience store by them, take a rest stop, grab a snack, and refuel. Allow them to benefit you on your journey, and when it’s time, get back on the highway, and wave to them in your rearview mirror.
PruittWrites Facebook Page
May 5, 2015
Book Club 4th Edition: Smith’s Bible Dictionary
This edition of PruittWrites Book Club, I would like to share a very treasured resource. Of all the Bible Dictionaries and Commentaries that I love, this is one of my favorites. Yes, there are newer Bible Dictionaries with great merit themselves, but Smith’s Bible Dictionary is a classic.
The information it shares in the article on Shepherds alone is worth having this on your shelf. If you prefer digital, you can find a public domain version for your iPad or computer. Check it out today, I know it will quickly become a favorite.
PruittWrites Facebook Page
The Idea Chest
“Write it down”, it’s the first thing we think to do when we hear something important. If we are paying a bill, planning a trip, or on a business call. Those are obvious, but what about all the things we let slip through our fingers? Today, I’d like to expand on something I’ve mentioned previously, the idea chest.
An idea chest is a great commodity to have. I would like to share three reasons why. Perhaps you aren’t a writer, blogger, or speaker, and you’re asking, “How does this help me?”
First, it will make you aware of knowledge on another level. Any subject someone is interested in, gets greater attention. Whether it’s a favorite book, or tv show, fans remember things common watchers don’t. If you collect knowledge your senses will become more keen to detail.
This improves brain function if you’re older, and develops research skills if you’re younger. The greatest students do not learn facts, instead they learn how to uncover them. A child who knows how to learn “how” can power rocket ships, cure diseases, and change their world.
Second, it will give you a resource to draw from. Whether it’s a business conversation, a social setting, or penning an email, you’ll benefit from a well placed fact or quote. Before the internet, John Maxwell used a filing cabinet to house things that he considered too important to forget, it’s served him well. His books, and their success are a testimonial to it.
Thirdly, the act of recording information has never been easier. This goes beyond note taking, which itself has been revolutionized through tools such as Evernote and Notability. Apps like Pinterest allow you to record visual cues, places, and objects that can be retrieved later at a moments notice.
If you a blogger, writer, or speaker, organize your idea chest to make retrieval even easier. I have an app to house quotes, boards that hold idea pictures, and three different note programs. Each has a different function, but they all contribute to my personal life, Ministry, blog, and business career.
Resources are all around you. Whether it’s looking up and storing a Wikipedia selection, or a book from the library, we live in the Information Age. You have the ability to accomplish anything you wish, and you don’t have to do it alone.
Much like Captain Marvel, now known as Shazam, you can access the wisdom of the ages. The only difference is that you don’t have to wear a lightning bolt around on your shirt, unless you want to. I know where you can get one, the address is in my idea chest.
PruittWrites Facebook Page
May 4, 2015
We Are Americans
He was a businessman, not a politician. He wasn’t perfect, nor do I believe he claimed to be. However this man of finance saved our country on two different occasions. Once when he kept the entire U.S. Treasury from failing, with his own gold. The other was when he bought enough stock to secure Wall Street from collapse.
J.P. didn’t do this because it was good for his fortune, he did it because it was right for the country. He loved our nation as much as Its leaders, and he offered his help where it would make a difference. Morgan stepped up when his unique abilities were needed the most.
Today I heard a story of a child whose Father’s sacrifice lead him to honor our military. This small boy stirred my passion for our nation. Because this “Gold Star Kid”, as he proudly called himself, never got to meet his Father, he honored the soldier he saw at a restaurant. It was his way of saying that the sacrifices made by those who walked ahead of him, are worth following after.
The banker and the boy weren’t soldiers, but they loved their country. Is she perfect, no, but I don’t recall Lady Liberty ever making that claim. What I do recall is another credo that met immigrants longing for a new life.
“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free…” What’s the point? The broken became bankers, doctors, and lawyers. Those who struggled to learn how to communicate in a new land went on to see their children thrive here. Presidents pointed to a heritage began in poverty.
Some became soldiers who fought and bled for our right to worship, to speak freely, and to choose our leaders. Others may not have taken up the sword, but they took up the plough, the bond, or the mantle. We don’t have to be Washington or Lincoln to make a difference here, but all of us can make an impact.
Like the banker and the boy, we are Americans. We should be as passionate about this country’s future as we are its grand heritage. No, you’re not a soldier, you may just be a businessman, or not even of age yet, but you are a citizen.
Act today, in whatever way you can, to preserve what it means to be an American. It’s future should be greater than its past, but we must make it so. The baton we’ve been handed is more than a scrolled set of documents sealed in blood. It’s an ideal, a virtue, and a gift from God.
The promise of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, but it must be pursued. Just as any freedom, it must be fought for, maintained, and appreciated. So let’s get to work this morning, making our land a better one in our own way.
PruittWrites Facebook Page
May 3, 2015
We hope you enjoy our Sunday Afternoon Art Post “The Publisher”.May 2, 2015
The Sea Horse: Hyperbole
“Framework which waits for a picture to frame: What of the leafage, what of the flower?” The figure quoted as he spoke to the guards in the diamond exchange. They would have lunged at him, had they not been temporarily frozen. The gas he had pumped in left them aware, but unable to move.
They studied this ridiculous looking figure closely, committing to memory what they saw. He wore a black silk vest, tuxedo trousers, French cuffed shirt, and blue ascot tie. The short, bald man was in a mask that appeared to be made out of Opera glasses. Finally the odd intruder had a brilliant red mustache and goatee.
His weapon of choice was as odd as he was. He threw three marbles into the room which emitted the paralyzing spray. He also had a staff shaped to resemble a fountain pen. It was slightly taller than his four foot seven stature. The still nameless stranger appeared to cut through the glass and metal cases with nothing but his dress gloves.
“Ladies and gentlemen I bid you adieu. I thank you for being such a, ha, attentive crowd. My next performance will be at the Oceania Opera Hall. Lastly, since it is unkind of a performer to leave the stage without an introduction, I leave you with that. My friends, Hyperbole thanks you for your contribution to his pursuits.”
The figure bowed, and the guards blacked out. When they came to, they could move, but the entire place had been wiped out. Oceania had another new face, and it was one that they would not soon forget.
PruittWrites Facebook Page
