I have twenty minutes each morning to write a blog post. Amanda gives me a topic, I set a timer for twenty minutes, after which I have an additional ten minutes to clean it up, and get it posted. I don’t have the option of changing topics or adding additional time. Whatever topic Amanda picks is the challenge that I face.

We have been doing this project for about 3-4 weeks now. I love the structure. Having Amanda pick the topic removes the paralyzing indecision and over-thinking that comes with the risk of putting my thoughts out there for the world to ridicule and criticize. It also provides me with an audience of one, who I feel the need to impress. I think I do better with a timer and set structure.

After my twenty minutes of writing is up, sometimes I find that what is on my computer is not very well written. Sometimes it is funny, or sad, or clever, or insightful, or dumb, or thought-provoking, or confusing, or ridiculous. Either way, regardless of what is produced in the allotted time, it gets posted, and I must live with it. Part of the challenge is to accept that if I am going to write, and write often, there will be days when the writing is crap. In order to measure what is quality material, I must produce some garbage, by comparison.

Amanda works in a hospital. She deals with death on an almost daily basis. She has to accept that when she gets called to a code over the intercom, there is a chance that someone’s twenty minutes is up. That person might not get their extra ten minutes to clean up their work before they put it on display.

As humans, we don’t have the luxury of setting a timer and deciding when our work is done.

We are not guaranteed a clean-up portion to our lives.

When our time is up, all that is left is our work. Some of that work is gonna be ugly. Much will be crap. Some of our work will be embarrassing and many will find parts of it laughable. But remember, the crappy, embarrassing parts are what illuminate the shiny and brilliant work we have accomplished, which is unique to only us.

People don’t focus on the garbage as they reflect on people’s lives. Humans are forgiving and want to remember the deceased in a good light.

Remember that our timer is ticking. The years tick by faster, the summer’s pass more quickly, and the Christmases come as soon as they leave. We don’t have the luxury of knowing when our timer is going to ding, and there is a good chance that we will not be allotted the time to clean up our mess, or tidy up our ugly work.

Create.

Be tenacious.

Take risk.

Time’s running out.

Peace, Love, and all things Beef related,

Beefcake