It’s raining again here in Southwest Ohio.  Gray days and January go together here like peanut butter and jelly.  That plus the Christmas credit card bill can be a little depressing, or maybe a LOT depressing, this time of year!

As I sloshed through the yard today, I tried to look on the bright side … at least it’s not ice … at least Spring is on the way … at least I’m wearing rain boots.

That last one made me smile because one of the best things about this past holiday is that I passed on one of my favorite poems about rain boots.  My daughter, my mother, my nieces, and my sister in law all received a copy of Sarah Kay’s poem “B” (aka “If I Had a Daughter”) along with their very own pair of rain boots.

If you have a daughter (or even a son), you will appreciate the message of Kay’s poem: life can sometimes be hard, but if you look, you can always find the beauty.

In one part of the poem she says,

I’ll always keep an extra supply of

chocolate and rain boots nearby,

because there is no heartbreak that chocolate can’t fix.

Okay, there’s a few heartbreaks that chocolate can’t fix.

But that’s what the rain boots are for.

Because rain will wash away everything if you let it.

During these January days, it’s important that we have our “rain boots” on to protect us from the blahs.  Spring is out there, sunny days are out there, better moods are out there, we just have to be patient.  I always give myself permission to be a little grumpy this time of year … be patient with yourself too.

I hope you get the chance to watch the first part of this video I’ve included … it is Sarah Kay performing her poem. The poem takes about 3 minutes to watch, the rest is worth it too if you have the time.

Extra-Ordinary Ideas:

Read It:  You can get Kay’s poem in book form from Amazon.com

B by Sarah Kay

Do It:  Put on your rain boots and face the rest of winter.

Think It: “Anyone who says sunshine brings happiness has never danced in the rain”

Watch It:

Have you ever thought about all of the great perks of living as a non-celebrity?

You can enjoy a dinner out without the peering eyes of autograph seekers. You probably never have to worry about annoying paparazzi.  And, you’re pretty much guaranteed that a close up of your backside in a bathing suit won’t ever appear on a tabloid cover (I say Thank God for that!). The joys of anonymity can be lovely.

On the flip side, I’ve discovered that ordinary living has a few of it’s own pitfalls.  Just like stars can get sucked in to the dark side of celebrity, we can get sucked into the dark side of routines and ruts. Have you ever gotten to the point where you feel like life is becoming a lot like the movie Groundhog Day?

There’s a quick and easy antidote and it has to do with big dreams and baby steps. I recently read an article on Toya Shibata, a 99 year-old best selling Japanese poet who recently released her first anthology with great success.  Want to know the kicker?

She began writing poetry at the age of 92!

There are so many paths for us to take, but none of them matter if we don’t allow ourselves to see the paths or take those first baby steps down them.  It’s never too late to go for a dream, to try something new, or to explore something completely out of your comfort zone.

That’s what keeps life vibrant and it also keeps you interesting (to yourself and to others).  So what have you been waiting to do?  Can you take a teeny tiny baby step down that path somehow this week?

Go for it!

Extra-Ordinary Ideas

Read It:  Read about Toya’s journey to becoming a poet.  Inspirational!

Do It:  Throw out judgment when it comes to choosing something to explore – a new career, dance, photography, baking, computer programming, stamp collecting, volunteering – give yourself permission to investigate.

Think It: “Never give up on something you can’t go a day without thinking about.” Unknown

In the ninth grade I wrote a paper that discussed how Bruce Springsteen’s lyrics embodied the sentiments of patriotic, middle-class Americans.  I’m not sure what’s scarier . . . that I wrote the paper or that I remember it so clearly all these years later.  Either way my own “Glory Days” are forever linked to Springsteen’s music. On a recent trip to The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland where they had an entire floor as a featured Springsteen exhibit, The Boss once again provided a couple of light bulb moments.

I’m a person who thinks there is little better than a blank notebook and freshly sharpened pencils, so it’s no wonder that I was fascinated by Springsteen’s songwriting notebooks that were on display.  Seeing the handwritten lyrics to classics such as “Dancing in the Dark” in a spiral bound notebook, revisions and all, made me remember that everything good has to start somewhere (even that next great dinner, birthday celebration, or project at work).  It’s easy to admire a finished product, but seeing how something as iconic as Springsteen’s songs were born in a drugstore notebook, reminded me of the endless possibilities we have to create good things if we just take action.  The challenge is in getting started and believing in ourselves enough to do it – whatever “it” is (being healthier, writing the next great American novel, or hosting your very first dinner party).  Sticking with something enough to get it right is when the rewards really pay off.  If you’re anything like me, you think a lot about how to improve small facets of everyday life, but when it comes to getting those ideas out of your head and on to the blank sheet of life, things get a little murky.  But it only takes one action built upon another to be the start of something really great, no matter how big or small.

The eXtra List:

Read It:  Of course it’s going to be Live in the Little, it’s a great collection of pick me ups from The Ordinary Matters archives.  Buy a bundle for friends and moms for mother’s day.  E-mail me at mscalf@theplaygroundgroup.net for special pricing on bundles of five or click on the right to order from Amazon.

Listen Up: Mat Kearney’s version of Dancing in the Dark is one of my favorites.

Think It: “He who has begun is half done.” Horace