ANECDOTE
Years ago, I was driving through Texas listening to Gloria Steinem’s memoir, My Life on the Road.
It was golden hour and as I drove over a hill – there, stretched out to the horizon, were miles of golden fields. I gasped out loud at the sheer beauty of it, pulled over, shut off the car, and stepped outside to bask in its splendor.
When I got back on the road… Steinem quoted Virginia Woolf who believed, “Every woman needs a room of her own.”
I laughed out loud as I realized, “I have a ROAD of my own.”
To me, an open road means freedom and the opportunity to go anywhere I want – whenever I want.
Later, at dinner, my waiter asked where I was from and where I’d been that day.
I told him about my cross-country drive and my experience at the golden fields.
He said, somewhat incredulous, “I wouldn’t want to drive cross-country all alone. It seems like it’d be sort of an empty experience.”
I smiled because, to me, that experience wasn’t empty, it was alive.
I told him, “Connection isn’t just with people. I was connected to those fields and with that moment.”
You see, socialization and solitude are two sides of a coin that make up a creatively productive life.
Many creatives talk about their need for head space so they can do original work. Yet in today’s “crazy busy” world, too few of us have time for contemplation.
It’s important to remember that part of your legacy is contributing your gifts. It’s not a luxury, it’s a necessity. It’s not indulgent, it’s an investment.
ACTION
Where and what is your Utah? Where do you retreat to be by yourself?
How, when, and where will you give yourself a room (or road) of your own?
Here’s to being better.
Until next time,
Sam Horn