After a very long hiatus, I decided that I had to get back to writing… try to recapture some teeny bit of creativity. I started writing daily on May 1st, and I’ve written nearly every day since with only a handful of days missed. But creativity has been elusive. My muse went silent a few years back, quelled by the anger and hatred that have risen up to permeate our society. For some people, these forces might inspire creativity, but for me, the effect was the opposite. I couldn’t think through all the noise and endless clatter. Creative thoughts fled, chased away by the arguing and finger pointing and bullying. It seems we have devolved into a culture of meanness and taunting. And a culture such as this does not beget creative thought and expression.

So I started to write, determined to make something worthwhile happen. But rather than creativity, I railed against the chaos. I focused on the anger and its effects on me and on my thought process. In essence, I got nowhere. Until I decided to focus, instead, on creating a plan, and on moving forward into kindness. I dove deep. I examined the behaviors that have kept me stuck. I focused on progress rather than perfection. I took small steps—one at a time. And I saw a way out of the darkness.

Sometimes, the solution is not obvious. We have to move in a different direction. When we run out of ideas, we have to try a different approach, maybe tackle the creative process from a fresh perspective or an untapped starting point. You know how when you garden, sometimes you start with the fruit? You take the fruit, plant it, and you wait. Eventually, it takes root. And you wait. And pretty soon, you have green sprouts, then stems and leaves. They grow all summer, taking in nourishment from the soil and the rain and the sun. And when the plant begins to die or dry out, you dig under the ground to see what has grown. Potatoes. Onions. Garlic. All grown from the end product. And so I am taking the first step from a new point of view and hoping to blaze a bold trail. Maybe it will work and maybe it won’t. I’ve got ideas, and I have to set them free—let some writing energy flow. I’m going to step out of my own way, let go of the reins, and watch what God can do.