creativity

i have a feeling that i'll be posting somewhat sporadically for the next week or so. i know - everytime i say that, BAM! something comes to me! but i feel compelled to spend time with my rusty metal, glue, soldering gun and wire. the ideas still come like a fountain, and i've reached the point where my ideas are outpacing my skills. i guess that's a good thing - forcing me to reach and go beyond my safe circle of familiar tools and textures. if it was spring, i'd compare it to the first snowdrops peeking their heads above the frozen ground, looking for that 1 warm spot of sun to shine. my body is healing, and that is a blessing. what dasdardly deed did i perform in another life to bring all that calamity on?? 'cause i know i didn't do anything that evil in my recollection! here's a thought: a few of my girlfriends and i had a RAK (random acts of kindness)club....throughout the month, whenever someone did something exceptionally kind to/for you, you put their name in a hat. at the end of the month, we'd each draw a name from our respective hats and tell the others about the incident. it could have been something as simple as a kind word when you needed it most, or an umbrella lent on a hellaciously rainy day...anything that made you smile or feel truly truly grateful. the parameters were personal and ever-changing depending on the day. after the dinner and recounting of tales, we'd each do something for the person who's name we'd drawn - only it had to be an anonymous something. part of the "rules" were that the receiver-of-the-return-RAK should not know who sent them flowers, paid their lunch tab, etc etc. that is truly the hard part! i sent flowers to my supervisor one time (anonymously, of course) with a card that simply said "for all you do." she thought her boyfriend had sent them and called to thank him. he wanted to know who was sending his girlfriend flowers and just what was it that she had been doing to deserve them. this fallout was going on while i was outside on break, and i honestly thought about cutting-and-running! so, did i break the anonymous rule, or let her life dissolve in angry confusion over flowers that were supposed to bring a smile? i fessed up. rules were meant for other people, i guess. at my last job i was one of only 3 people in a huge office building at 3am. the other 2 worked with me. then there was the newspaper guy. we'd scared each other witless before, with him jamming his arm in the elevator door to grab it at the last second, me screaming and him screaming - neither expecting the other to be there. one day, he was waiting out front when i got there, and as we walked to the elevators, i said something about him loitering around out front (joking). he said he saw some "bad dudes" in the area and wanted to be sure i was safe. i was stunned. his route was late that day because he waited for me. so the next "hat draw" paper-guy got the win. it made me double happy - once for the incident, and once for the "payback." the question was - how to do this anonymously. i got him a gift certificate at Dunkin Donuts (he always had a huge travel mug of coffee on his dashboard) and taped it in the elevator with a note "yes...this is for YOU" on it. after i heard the slap of the newspaper hit the kickplate of the door next to our office. i waited a few minutes, then went out to check the elevator. yep. the envelope was gone. he never mentioned it to me, but i'm sure he got it - evidenced but white sugar crumbs on his dark shirt! try this....it's such a great win/win/win feeling! too many people are happy to pass along gloom & doom...people almost get suspicious when something good comes their way! till next time........L.