Magic Antlers

On most days, and definitely on good days, hundreds of ideas run through my head. I don’t think I’m alone here. They are certainly not all good ideas (maybe I should cut my hair like Grimes), but they don’t all suck either (orange clove vodka could taste good). But most of those ideas drop out just as quickly as they pop in. Ephemeral like a shooting star, they can spark and then fizzle in a matter of seconds. 

Upon inspection, every big to-do list and all my New Year’s resolutions have some underlying theme of holding on to more ideas. I yearn to nurture just a few more ideas into something real. To give just a little more thought, spend a few more minutes, and take some of the better ideas a bit further.

I love this print by Jenn Renninger,  I Will Gather the Stars for You. It’s just what I need: a mystical deer looking out for me, gathering all the good stuff that flitters around in my brain and funneling it down through his magic antlers into some digestible action plan. But short of a mystical deer, I have my blog. It’s a forum that inspires me to take an idea that made an appearance in my mind, and develop it just a tiny bit more.

On Thanksgiving, while making Honey and Herb Biscuits and Pecan, Bourbon and Butterscotch Bread Pudding, I heard a rerun of an interview with Nora Ephron.  She discussed the process she goes through, when blessed with a new idea, of determining which medium to take it to. Should it be a movie, a play, an essay, a book, a blog post? For Ms. Ephron, a blog post is a fleeting idea that she may not even agree with the next day. I liked this. It sets the standard low—a blog post does not need to be a work of greatness, but a forum to mature an idea, to lend focus to a flurry of thoughts, and to put something out there.

With this approach, I plan to start blogging again. Same place, same voice, and maybe a slightly broader theme. I am excited!