Be Creative

One of the keys to life that I strongly adhere to is: being creative. This doesn’t mean that you need to be an artsy type of person or whimsical but just be creative.

For Christmas each year I like to make something with wood. My grandfather was (still is, he’s just old and doesn’t do much anymore) a precision machinist by trade. He was a woodworker in retirement. The things he was able to design and create are amazing. The attention to detail. The finite workings. Just amazing what he dreamed up and did.

I never took a shop class in high school or college. I never worked consistently in construction or carpentry. But working with wood has always been fun to do in my grandpa’s garage. I would go over there a few days a week and spend time with them and work in his garage. My dad and I would make pinewood derby cars each winter over there. I have a lot of fond memories and I hope to carry those memories into my children and grandchildren.

My grandma was a master a crocheting. She would make angels to put atop Christmas trees, slippers, hats, and her most famous item – dish scrubbies. They are hockey puck shaped disks that are crocheted out of tulle and safe for all dishes, even non-stick. She would make dozens at a time while watching the Cardinals play.

Additionally, my wife is really good at this, too. My wife did take a shop class in high school and made an amazing hope chest. It’s big and it sits in our basement. We’re hoping to bring it up into our room once we get our basement cleaned out as it is buried.

She is doing a craft/Christmas event with the kids each day until Christmas comes. She picked up felt snowman and gingerbread man and had the kids lay them out so she could superglue them. She also helped the boys make snow globes.

But this creativity is what helps us do more with our lives. Hobbies and extracurricular activities help make us better people and sharpen our minds. You never know what you will enjoy unless you try it.