I waited 7 years to read this book
It has more meaning than I expected.
Seven years ago I received a book from one of my favorite teachers.
The Secret of The Highly Creative Thinker
This book and I have a long history of not interacting.
I brought it home from school and put it on my my desk in my room.
And it stayed there for a long time.
For some reason it was off-putting to me.
Maybe it was pride telling me that I couldn’t learn creativity from a book, that I already was brimming with the creativity I needed.
Maybe it intimidated me— a part of me was fearful of what could be unlocked, or more that it was going to tell me that I wasn’t as brilliant and creative thinking as I thought I was.
Of course there was also the general feeling of laziness, of not wanting to read a book given to me by my school, and especially not going into summer.
Eventually it snuck its way onto my bookshelf. Probably when I cleared my desk for a seemingly more important activity like building LEGO.
I didn’t think of it again until three and half years later my family moved. It got packed up with the rest of my room and hauled to a different house. Of course, I reinstated it in its rightful place on my bookshelf in the new house.
At that point, over halfway through college, I was overwhelmed with reading. My course work inundated my time with tens of thousands of pages of reading, sometimes thousands in just one week. So, whenever I wasn’t reading for class, I wasn’t going anywhere near a book. Add the fact that I was about to leave for Spain for semester and suddenly the book was once again forgotten, left behind on the shelf.
I didn’t think about it again until almost four years later, until last weekend.
I was on a quick trip home to enjoy some time in Atlanta with my family and to see Messi. Feeling refreshed and inspired by my recent life endeavors, I went scanning through my bookshelf for a different book that had been on mind that I had also shelved years ago, and there this book was, still sitting on my shelf, wearing its still pristine white jacket, just waiting for me to pick it up.
And this time it actually caught my interest. Fascinating by what could be inside and honestly a little convicted by not having yet read it, I decided to finally grab it off the shelf and commit to reading it. So I tossed it in my bag to head back to Fort Worth.
I started reading it Tuesday morning. I didn’t plan on it, but I nearly finished it one sitting.
It’s a nifty, short little book, that is two-thirds theory and one-third challenges and exercises. Exactly the kind of resource I’ve been eating up lately. I don’t think the book itself will be life changing by any means, but finally acquainting myself with it has been a highly rewarding gift.
In Ted Lasso, Season 1 Episode 3, the ever quirky Coach Lasso gives a unique book to each player, each book specifically chosen to provide a critical lesson to each receiving player. For Roy Kent, A Wrinkle in Time, for Jamie Tartt, The Beautiful and the Damned.
You probably see where I’m going with this.
For Ben Smoke, The Secret of the Highly Creative Thinker.
Suddenly it all makes sense!
It should have dawned on me that this book was specifically chosen for me and not just a random reading recommendation. Clearly, Ben 7 years ago was not mature enough to realize the thoughtfulness of the gift...
A gift that was meant for seven years ago, and yet is a gift now!
But, what an encouraging discovery! To have tangible evidence of teachers who knew me well and wanted me to succeed, and that I am still on the trajectory that was envisioned of me all those years ago, wow.
While I was back in Atlanta, I had the opportunity to catch up with two different teachers that have made a huge impact on my life. Sitting eye to eye, calling them by their first names, the dynamic has certainly matured. We fondly reflected on the past, the highs, the funny moments, and the hard lessons learned in the lows. We talked of the present, the new elements and the challenges of our lives. And we shared dreams for the future.
Years later, I live halfway across the country, we see each other maybe once a year. No longer the teacher and the student. We’re more of peers now, no, actual friends.
The dynamic has matured and changed but their desire to support, encourage, and cheer me on has remained the same.
Somehow they still manage to send me off with wise lessons and a little homework— this time it was some trumpet resources and encouragement to not let a fear of regret prevent me from committing to be all in on the present moment.
Because I know them, I want to follow through, to continue being the student eager to learn. And I continue to hope that one day I’ll be on the other side, the one eager and faithful to teach.
I hope that kind of relationship is something everyone has the opportunity to experience.
One of the best things about growing, learning, reading, gaining experience, etc. is to to be able to lift up and encourage someone following after you. The teacher that gave me that book knew me well and they were also prepared with the resources that could equip and encourage me.
Think of your spheres of influence. Do you know someone well enough to know they need to be encouraged? Are you prepared with the tools to encourage and equip that person? If your answers are yes, then go do it! And if your answers are no, take note and make a plan to turn that into a yes!
Adding it to my book list!