occam's razor

have you ever worked so hard at something only to have it come to nothing? conversely, have you ever been so absorbed in what you were doing that you didn't even notice how meaningful it became to someone else? that happened to me while i was on the ferry between friday harbor and lopez island. i had my sketchbook out and was enjoying simply drawing a picture of a sailboat in the waves when a man walked by and complimented it. soon his son came up and asked if they could buy my drawing. i was barely even done but tore it off and said, "art is free. if you like it, it's yours. do something creative someday". i say all of this completely humbled because when i saw this young man, about 13 i would guess, getting off the ferry later he was guiding his bike with one hand and clutching my drawing to his chest with the other. in the interim, two completely delightful young sisters had been watching me draw over my shoulder and struck up a conversation. it, like drawing or like Love, was easier than breathing; that unselfconsciousness of a child at play, the creative zone...whatever one calls it, it seems to bear fruit when we get out of the way and simply do what we were made to do. "who i am is me, for that i came" wrote hopkins. and for one short moment i experienced that. self-awareness can really infringe on the flow of things and thank goodness that self-actualization isn't the means and end to our time here. we all want to know we're purposefully part of something bigger than we are. at any rate, i hope that young man looks at my humble sketch of a boat and remembers that his own act of creativity could make a big difference in someone else's life. as a teacher i am gearing up again to work hard, to be intentional, to make a difference. i forget how easy and sometimes even more meaningful it can be when i'm not trying so hard. somehow that short interaction on the ferry ended up being just the encouragement i needed to keep being myself on this planet. occam's razor states that "the simplest answer is probably right". it's so easy, how could we not enjoy it: our greatest joys and the world's deep hunger meeting (frederich beuchner). yes, a funny thing happened on the way to the ferry terminal.