Differentnesses

This afternoon I watched this 60 second video from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints:

A little later I gathered the eggs from the chicken coop.  As I washed them and put them in the old tin strainer, I saw a lot of similarities between the eggs and the video.

There were all kinds of shells -- little, big, pointed, rounded, double-yokers, single-yokers, green, blue, brown, tan, spotted, plain, white, smooth, rough -- and they all taste the very same.  Inside they're just as good as they can be and, combined, do a wonderful job making cookies, cakes, French toast, pancakes, muffins, and crepes. Once they are out of their shells, I'm never be able to single them out in a frying pan of scrambled eggs and say that one is better than the other.  They're all good and, combined, they're substantial.

We, like eggs, don't have to be the same to be good.  When we combine our efforts and differentnesses and act as one, we can do substantial good where everyone benefits.

"If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough." -- Albert Einstein

One day when Abe and Ty were boys they asked if they could go on my daily walk with me. We visited about school and recess, and I told them that Albert Einstein had said that imagination was more important than knowledge, and what did they think about that? They debated the issue for two miles.

A dozen years later, Abe wrote in a letter, “Mom, I remember you used to always talk to me about Albert Einstein’s quote that knowledge without imagination is nothing. I would always argue that knowledge was more important but . . . Albert was right.”

I don't know what changed Abe's mind, but I do believe that imagination is what makes knowledge useful. Imagination is what puts color in a rainbow; fact simply states it is light meeting water. Children understand imagination far better than adults.  

I love to watch our grandchildren pretend and imagine whether it is Eliza wearing strips of toilet paper clipped to her hair pretending to have long hair, or Afton stuffing the top of her dress so she can be a mom, or Atlas pretending to be a mechanic on a submarine, or Levin pretending he is an airplane pilot, or Zeph building houses for bugs, or Hazel pretending to put lipstick on.  Their imaginations build them.

Linda Nowicki said, “Children have an endless well of creative energy. It shows up in the whimsical lyrics they sing, their imaginative play, and in their innate ability to make something out of anything. Because they don't fret over what anyone else will think, they are free to live an authentic life that reflects their unique style. But something happens as we grow. We begin to look outward instead of inward for approval. We let magazines tell us what is stylish and how to decorate our homes. We listen to the music of others instead of creating our own. When we look at our children, it's difficult to imagine that creativity ever came that easy to us. But it did.” 

In light of that quote, Albert Einstein’s dress and grooming makes a lot more sense.  He simply never outgrew his imagination.  He believed there were more important things than what others thought. That is wisdom worth practicing.

Today is Albert’s 138th birthday.  Here are other bits of Einstein wisdom:

• There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.

• I want to know God's thoughts . . . the rest are details.

• Do not worry about your problems with mathematics, I assure you mine are far greater.

• Only a life lived for others is a life worth while.

• I have never looked upon ease and happiness as ends in themselves - such an ethical basis I call more proper for a herd of swine.

• Two things inspire me to awe—the starry heavens above and the moral universe within.

• I have no particular talent. I am merely inquisitive.

• It’s not that I’m so smart, it’s just that I stay with problems longer.

• When I examine myself and my methods of thought, I come to the conclusion that the gift of fantasy has meant more to me than my talent for absorbing positive knowledge.

Wordless Wednesday

Thanks to Alyson Keeley Photography

I Think I Need Your Help

As you may have noticed I have a blog topic for each day of the week. I’ve been trying to think of a new topic of discussion for Tuesday’s blog posts. Self-Portrait Tuesdays was a great experience and I learned quite a few things about myself (things like my wedding dress still fits [for the most part] and my double chin will always be part of me). A big thanks to Lelly for hosting Self-Portrait Tuesday all those months. But Lelly no longer hosts SPT and . . . well, you can only play hide-n-go-seek for so long by yourself before you feel kind of silly.

So…..have you got any ideas for a Tuesday topic? I have hesitated to ask for your help for a couple of reasons: One, what if no one responds. It’s always a bit embarrassing to say something loud and bold and then only hear silence (no “hmmm”or “I’ll think about that,” but s.i.l.e.n.c.e.). And, two, what if by chance I get two ideas and I hurt one of your feelings by not taking your suggestion? I don’t like that idea either. NOTWITHSTANDING those dilemmas, I’m bravely asking for suggestions because I’m stumped. I’ve been thinking for three months and haven’t come up with a solution.

Ideas for a Tuesday topic?

Bells, Bells, Bells

Kelsey and Ande met in fourth grade and today we attended her wedding. Kelsey had a tear running down her cheek a good portion of the ceremony. It was the sweetest thing. And when Calvin hugged her afterwards and whispered, "We'll miss you Kelsey Payne" she squeezed him hard and made more tears come out. (Not one mascara smudge, mind you. She cried so daintily.) We're grateful for the friendship Kelsey and Ande have had.