If you’re too busy being busy, you’re too busy. If you’re too busy living and making a living, you’re too busy to dream. And if you’re too busy to dream, then you won’t find time to create. This is the perfect storm to hinder any creative endeavor. You’ve got to find the time to dream–to let your mind travel down those winding roads to places you’ve never been or places you wish you could go back to…
As I was writing this something happened. Something got in the way of my own dreaming and creating.
Old Faithful–our John Deere Tractor–refused to switch out implements. Now this isn’t some cool, new robotic feature where it automatically changes from one attachment to another. No. We have to switch out those farm attachments. We, as in my husband and myself. Fallible beings. And we struggle with this task. All. The. Time.
If you have one of these wonderful machines you know what I’m talking about. There are times, many times actually, that it is near impossible to put on an attachment. And this was one of those times.
So here I am writing to you about a busy life getting in the way of our creativity and I have hubby calling me outside to help with attaching the finish mower. We go through all the usual methods, WD-40, hammer, boards, yelling, calling it names, willpower and sheer brute force. Nothing.
Understand, it’s July and this is Florida. It’s 95+ degrees out and it’s one of those humid days that you have to wring out sweat and humidity from your clothes after being outside for any length of time. I’m sticky, hot, miserable, and frustrated. But we keep on and eventually, something gives and the attachment goes on.
Now, I’m not a cussing sort of person. I don’t curse. Ever. But in my mind and under my breath I’m saying all sorts of unintelligible words. #x#%^&*+ Eventually some of the jumbled sounds make words and the words start making sentences. Or rather, questions.
Why is it so difficult to change out an attachment on a John Deere tractor? What are we doing wrong? Does everyone have this much trouble? Is it even worth it–having a farm and needing a tractor? What are we doing anyway?
And there goes the writing–out the window. Just like a swift puff of air on an old, seeded dandelion flower.
And here comes the mood–dark, brooding, angry. Sulking.
It’s true that life has a way of infringing on those dreams. You betcha. You can’t stop living. And you have to make a living. So before you just give up on it all, go ahead and give in to life’s temporary interruption. If it’s important, that is. There will come another time to dream and create.
In other words, when your John Deere tractor needs an attachment changed out, you’ve just gotta find time to make it happen. Or live with the consequences. Which would mean living with a front pasture overgrown with tall grasses that were going to seed and keeping our horses penned up indefinitely because eating the seed tops cause them to founder. I love my horses. And I love my farm. And I love my husband. So I chose to give up on my writing time and my mood for several very long hours.
But…late in the night, when everyone was sleeping, I found the time. Lots of it.
And I wrote for hours…
