i like trash.

I read a passage from a book that said “if women are to be free to choose to pursue a career as well as marriage, they must also be free to choose the making of a home and the nurture of a family as their vocation…”

This author then said that creativity is a way of living life, regardless of our vocation or how we make money. I could be a housewife creatively. I could be a physician creatively. I can be a barista creatively. "It's not what you do, it's the way that you do it"... right?

The brothers at Taizé said something similar. They asserted that “eternal life” is quality of life here on earth, not just a future destination. What they meant is this: every choice we make, whether we abuse or honor others, destroy or create, eat chocolate cake or vanilla (just kidding)…these things determine whether we spend our days living or dying. Death and life, in this sense, have nothing to do with whether our heart continues to pump and blood flows through our veins. There’s a Braveheart quote tickling the back of my brain…

I am inspired to think that there are ways life can be lived that transcend typical categories of work and housing situations, geographical location, or the activities and relationships we spend time on when all our daily chores are done. How can I live this day creatively? Eternally?

Walking in Edmonds with Charlie a few days ago, I spotted a piece of glass partially exposed along the dirt path we use as a sidewalk on Sunset. To be honest, I probably would have ignored it if I was alone. But I picked it up and in my attempts to convince Charlie it was an amazing treasure (actually just a glass block that used to adorn someone’s bathroom) I myself grew more excited about the discovery.

I stared at it, waiting for its use in my life to be revealed. As we brainstormed possible functions, I savored the process of gazing at this seemingly useless and random artifact and allowing space for creativity to explode in brilliant colors. It hasn’t yet. I cleaned off the glass when I got home and unoriginally set a candle on it. Its potential remains untapped.

I know this story makes me sound weird. Maybe I am. But here's what makes me excited: that meaningless things gain meaning when questions of eternity and creativity are given room to breathe.

I don’t know how to conclude this post. I am simply loving the idea that I can live life beyond the mundane, no matter how uninspired I sometimes feel by the daily grind.