off the fence

now let’s see if we can swim

San Diego Harbor 2019… just days before the life changing missile named Henrietta was adopted

“It’s been decided.” Urania paged through a worn copy of The War of Art. “Resistance lost.”

“Lost?” asked the Muse of Many Question. “Lost what?”

“We’ve been trying to pry Typist’s fingers from the rail for countless circles around the sun!” Urania looked up at the morning’s clear blue sky. “She’s ready… to embrace the heck out of becoming an author.”

Thalia’s eyes widened and sparkled. “Finally!”

“Like that old cast iron skillet she moved from house to house? She’s decided she’s keeping us?” asked Cal.

“Even she didn’t recognize how tightly she’d been clinging to the fence until this morning.” Urania stood and straightened her shirt. “But then she read her friend Sue’s morning message that contained a quote fromW.H. Murray… about what happens when one commits.”

“And she recognized that yesterday she’s already started writing book three, before book number two is finished,” Thalia added.

“And… there were those generous comments from a new friend who said, ‘A lot of people can do the first one, but you move up in class big-time when you write the second.’ Now she knows where to direct her energy. She doesn’t want to be a coach, or a business mogul, or a Congresswoman, or a journalist. With our help, she’s going to write books… there is freedom in constraint.” Urania sat back down and picked up her book again. “Now we can start to create habits around the work… and direct her explorations and learning.”

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Until one is committed there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favour all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his way.

I have learned a deep respect for one of Goethe’s couplets: “Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.”

from The Scottish Himalayan Expedition by W. H. Murray, 1951