Good things in life just take time
“What’s the use in watching, I already know what will happen,” said my dad. We were watching the movie We Bought a Zoo. “It’s not the ending, but the journey that really makes it worth while,” I replied back. After that he came back, and continued to watch the movie with my mom and I. Something about this story made us want to keep watching till the end.
A story grabs you from the beginning, even if you know what might happen, sometimes you just know that it’s worth continuing the journey. If we knew the last page of our own lives, would we continue doing the same things or change. That’s something that we may never know. It’s best to try to take a chance and see what happens. Even if the result doesn’t come right away, or unlike you expected. Maybe the world is grander than you imagined.
“Every disappointment in life can be a stepping-stone to greater things.”
Have you ever had really good ideas for a story, but couldn’t figure out how to start writing the story? I’ve been thinking about a new story lately. There is a list of notes I’ve been compiling. Yesterday throughout the day, I was shadowing my friend Jennifer who was teaching her classes, she had a bit of office time. At that moment, I had a chance to write. Her office was the perfect spot to write. Nice acoustic guitar playing in the background (thanks to the app Songza). She was working on some things she needed to do. Through the window of the office, showed a wonderful day on campus with students walking to their classes. I opened my notebook that I was using not only to take notes for observing, but also included a bit of notes on my story. I looked over my notes on there and on my iPhone. Then I went to a blank page, and I tried to write. All the words just didn’t seem to work. It just frustrated me, and that’s when I started to think of the reasons why I was having trouble. Maybe it’s my unfinished rough draft of novel that needs ending; not enough sleep; or the normal difficulty of starting something new. It could have been all three. All I knew at that moment I wasn’t ready to write the new story. Maybe it wasn’t time yet for the story to be written.
So I placed the story aside, and continued on with the day. Later yesterday evening, I went to hear local music. It had been a while since I had the opportunity. There I was leaning on the side of the wall in the building, watching but mostly listening to a certain band perform. I knew all their songs, but that’s what made the experience even better. The music swiftly swept through me as if it was an enchantment. Instead of focusing on the instruments being played, I just listened to the music and forgot the world around me. A certain song was played that reminded me of my unfinished novel. Instead of being disappointed that I still haven’t finished writing it, I remembered how I began writing the story. I remembered the feelings of happiness every time I progressed through the novel, especially when I broke through the moments of difficulty in writing. Just like the waves hitting the shore, the ending of the novel was trying to unfold in my mind. It was as if the music, at the exact moment, caused the story to appear. I still haven’t gotten a chance to actually write it all down, but I tried to write a few notes to myself so I wouldn’t forget.
“The life you live will soon be past, but the things you do for love will last.”
My friend who was part of the band performing last night, he told me that they were planning on making new music soon. They had some ideas for new songs, but they weren’t ready to be recorded. I told him that some things just take time. Then he mentioned that the songs needed to simmer a bit so they could be refined. When he mentioned that, I replied, “Kind of like a story.” It brought a smile to his face, and he nodded. He knew that I understood what he was talking about.
Maybe we’re suppose to let the ideas come first, if they don’t then we must find another way to think of ideas. If the ideas don’t make a story at first, try again later. Likely the words will follow just a little bit better. It won’t be perfect. Nothing is perfect in this life, it can only be close to perfect.
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