Terry Daffron

here is never a bad time to start a blog. For me it keeps me accountable to getting better at writing and keeping my thoughts organized. It also is a guage of what my priorities are and how they ebb and flow from different things due to varying circumstances. Lately one of my priorities has been a new addition to the family. Several months ago we had our third child born to us at home. We had a wonderful experience with our midwife and wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.

So in following the anytime-is-a-good-time-to-start-a-blog thought, I do realize that I thought time would be available no matter what was going on in life. Alas, I must admit my addiction to my baby boy (matter of fact, all three of my boys) and the need to spend as much time with them as possible. I must mention too that I’ve been trying to be as good of a husband as possible in giving my wife reprieve from the hellians when I get home from work. It’s not always easy and mostly exhausting. So much so that it can demotivate you in doing other things because all you want to do once their asleep is veg. I got tired of vegging.

I got a handful of posts into my blog and then I had to stop. Now, it’s time to start back up. There is a butt load of posts in the waiting that just can’t wait any longer. Some have rotted before they got edited and posted. I’m ok with that. My time with my boys is precious and with that, I have new understanding that what happens a home is more important than what happens on my blog. 

Here’s to new thoughts and more writing.

I find that a great idea is the culmination of thought, time, sleep loss, the gut, experience, indigestion, and desire. Ok, maybe not the indigestion but sometimes it can help kick-start that funny-feeling which could put you on the road to that idea. It’s true, go eat a chili dog if you’re having a creative block and then see what happens…ahh, I digress before I even start.

Adam Katz finished the statement “Things I have learned in life so far” through his typographic instillation using little plastic army men. My immediate response to it was “YES!” I had an instant self realization on why ideas great ideas are so hard to come by:

We think sometimes that a great idea will come easy and that it’ll just land in our lap. What happens more often than not is a process where we have to fight our way through the things that cloud our mind and vie for our attention in order to reach that blissful place outside of our creative block.

Yet maybe it goes deeper than that. The medium Adam used is quite symbolic of the notion.

or several years now I’ve had a constant nagging inside of myself to get back to the *better* things that I used to do. The creation of things that involve the use of my hands – book binding, leather work, stationery, and cooking (meat).

What they all have in common is that they all take discipline to do well. Iteration after iteration; trial, error, and thought. I convinced myself that I didn’t have time to do any of that anymore. Several months ago, I realized that you won’t have time if you waste time…and that’s what I have been doing.

Time was something that I didn’t respect. I thought that once home from the office, I deserved a certain amount of “down” time…veg time. I had a routine: walk in the front door, pet the dog, kiss my wife, hug the boys, wrestle with the boys, eat, and veg the rest of the night. Sure sure, there is a time and a place for vegging out. I went overboard with it. I believe time is utterly wasteful if when an idea comes to mind where you want to create something yet you pass it off because you’d rather sit and surf or sit and watch the fourth consecutive episode of that entire season on Netflix. When opportunities like that are thrown to the way side, that’s an indicator that you’re wasting away.

I got tired of the waste and tired of wanting to figure out how to do great things without sacrifice. In a round about way though, I really was sacrificing something…the wrong something. It will be a difficult transition as I know that my old habits will want my time. Yet I’ll beat my body into submission so that I can get into the routine of listening to that small voice leading me down the path of greatness (I know that sounds cheesy but that’s what the heart is screaming). It’ll be better for my family and “me” which is who I’m supposed to be.

veryone is living in a story. One that is their own. My story has to do with not wanting it to be stuck in the same chapter. There are times when I figuratively wake up and think “why hasn’t anything changed”?

Through many hard lessons and coming to terms with addiction, I realized that I had forgotten that no matter what I’m doing, I’m telling my story. For so long I had been stuck in the same chapter and thus telling a story that was seemingly going nowhere. How does one progress in their story? Change. Constant change. Matter of fact, nothing changes if nothing changes.

“Progress is impossible with out change; and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.” ~ George Bernard Shaw

So here is what’s coming up. For so long I’ve wanted to get back into the things I love to do: book binding, print, sculpture, and storytelling. I’ve got to start somewhere and here is where I am going to share those changes in my story. If I make something, I’ll tell the story behind it. If I experience something, I’ll tell it’s story too.

I am not meant to relive the same chapter again and again. Neither are you. I can’t expect to change if I don’t do anything about it. Thinking and doing go hand-in-hand.

Want to know what’s next? What’s next is a chance to tell a story and to tell it well.

Cheers.