The Books I Would Write

(an entry for SundayScribblings)


The cliche's abound when it comes to writing a book - "do you have dreams of writing the Great American Novel?"..."everyone has one great book in them before they die." In this week's scribblings, I want to make it very clear that there is no book on this list that I am GOING to write. No commitments. I take commitments very seriously.

Perhaps a book on commitments and goals would be on my list - for this scribe, I have failed to set my sails many times from the safety of the dock because I didn't have a clear vision of where I wanted to end up. And, because I know the work and toil involved in getting to any worthwhile destination, just "pulling a vision/goal out of thin air because I should" is just not going to get the job done.

Yet, if you don't leave the harbor - the view never changes. There are some people in this world that have a clear picture of where they want to go. I neither disparage or envy them. I have seen these people go through the hardships and adventures to get to where they wanted only to say, "OK, now what?...now where do we go?" Pursuing goals so steadfastedly and with such vision can leave one myopically looking at the horizon and never seeing what is around them.

Now, the opposite problem can confront the wanderer - he leaves the port, just to "sail around a bit" and see what he sees. If there is something of interest, he may change the set of his sails and see what is happening "over there." The danger in this approach is that one can be distracted and led into places that waste time and invite danger unnecessarily.

The plus's of the two approaches - our goal setting friend gains accomplishment. Our wandering friend gathers feeling and perspective. Let's take a look at...

Our friend who stays in the harbor - he is often maligned. "I don't care what you do...just do something!!!" It's an easy critique to lop upon our pier bound mate. But, what if this captain isn't a worthy sailor....at all?