A broken finger and piano

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I stepped out of the office and picked up my sister’s call. When she answered, I could tell from her voice that something was off. 

She explained how she broke a finger while walking her dog. The pup got excited at seeing another dog and yanked the leash while she tied her shoe. His four legs and her ring finger went in opposite directions. 

I listened as she explained her frustration and how the injury would restrict her activities. After failing to console her and making it four blocks from the job, I turned around. We said our goodbyes, and I went down a residential block.

Below the sun’s warm rays, birds chirping, and squirrels in a tree, a broken piano rested against the curb. Someone had placed it out for collection, or maybe it fell from a truck.

I didn’t know the story behind the piano, but I took a picture and kept walking.

Creativity, walking, and writing

Did you know there is a link between creative insights and walking outdoors? Stanford researchers wrote about it over a decade ago.  

Lately, I’ve been more intentional about getting outside to break up the work inside the office. Sometimes, an idea forms and doesn't finish until I’ve stepped away. When I return after walking for fifteen minutes, I often feel refreshed and better positioned to identify the next sentence.

The blank page

Every writer has their process. Maya Angelou booked hotel rooms to limit distractions and support writing projects. Recently, the novelist Kim Johnson shared with Essence how she reads drafts with an e-reader and another format to get different perspectives.  

With blog posts, I jot initial ideas in a notebook, write the first draft in Word, print it, make additional revisions, upload it to the site, review it on the computer and my cell, make more revisions, and then click publish.

There’s a system.

I put my phone in Do Not Disturb mode when working on longer articles in the office. The average writing window is 4 hours. When I open the window and leave my office, I often have notifications from phone calls or text messages.

Broken fingers, pianos, and you

My sister called during last week’s walk. I found creative insights in her injury and the mysterious piano on the curb.

Some of us have perfect hands and abilities to do incredible things with our lives, but we act like broken instruments. We play small and refuse to reach for potential. It’s time to stop.

Develop courage, get in tune with yourself, and build confidence.

Go for a walk today, and you might find inspiration to change or create something entirely different.

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