Meet Teddy One.
Teddy was a gift to my teenage daughter. That daughter is now thirty-years-old, and today Teddy is dressed, videoed, and dragged to every sleep-over by her young daughter.
Now meet Teddy Two.
Teddy Two is a perfect teddy. Perfect brown eyes, round white belly, and soft to the touch.
Teddy One is bug-eyed, prickly, and skinny. Often his narrow neck is ringed with plastic bracelets and a skirt hides his short legs. Sometimes he is wrapped in baby face-cloths and a pink blanket.
When you look at the two Teddy’s which Teddy peaks your curiosity, maybe to the point that you are hovering over the magnifying tool on your keyboard ? Is it perfect Teddy Two or wildly different Teddy One?
I don’t want to make an assumption but….I’d bet on Teddy One ‘cause he’s just so…interesting! Interesting in his imperfections.
Maybe it is just that perfect Teddy Two is not dressed up that makes one be more curious about Teddy One?
Nah. Even dressed up, Teddy Two is cute yet his perfection still shines through like a shined up coffee table. Nice, pleasing to the eye, but your eyes would not linger long.
Non-traditional teddy bear, Teddy One, with his crooked smile and bald spots captured my granddaughter's attention breaking the assumptions of what I saw as loveable teddy bear traits. Digging deeper, I realized assumptions can hinder creativity, blocking new ideas and new ways to see our everyday lives. Our experiences can become a collection of stereotypes instead of new discoveries driven from curiosity and open observation. Conforming to standardization, we may even become biased in the way creativity should be expressed instead of trusting in our God nudges that take us into unique territories of creative expressions.
Trust those nudges. Stay open. Embark on the journey to unexpected results. Break the mundane with child-like curiosity.
Recently my grandson brightened up my day wearing rubber sandals with a green sock on one foot and a yellow sock on the other.
My back toward him, he started giggling, “Grandma, owl on your back!” I had been wondering why my t-shirt’s neckline seemed high on my throat. That owl image is the front of the t-shirt. We had a good laugh. A family story that may never be lost created from our imperfections.
Let’s also not let perfection become like a stop sign on our creativity roadway. Instead, let’s allow our imperfection to lead us to somewhere unexpected. Let’s be open to get outside our comfort zone, discover new things about ourselves, walk in shorts and sandals with a mismatched pair of socks, or our t-shirt on backwards. Let’s foster our creativity by not fearing the messiness of imperfection.
Let’s refresh our creativity with a childlike sense of wonder.
How will you refresh your creativity today?
And said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 18:3
You can read more of Lynn's curious adventures at Keeping It Real
Thank you so much for sharing these beautiful thoughts today, Lynn. It was just the confirmation that I needed. Blessings and hugs to you, dear friend!
ReplyDeleteYou are so very welcome, Bettie. Always encouraging to see your comments!
DeleteTeddy 1 has such huge green eyes. His face looks like a cat's face.
ReplyDeleteHere's another stand-out moment. I was on a missions trip to Mexico in 1977. Out of all the cars in Saltillo, one stood out. A rock had hit the passenger side of the windshield. But instead of leaving it that way or bearing the expense of replacing the wind shield, the owner put white thread in a spider web pattern on the cracks. Then the owner put a stuffed toy spider on the dash board. An ugly accident became a work of art.
I love that example of resourceful creativity! Why do we think we need to replace instead of create from what we have? Thanks for sharing that story, Bruce!
DeleteI LOVED this, Lynn! You are so correct. Often what we see as imperfections are exactly the things that set apart and make interesting.
ReplyDeleteSo agree, Tracy!
DeleteOh Lynn, I loved this. I'm so tempted to wear mismatched socks tomorrow evening when my grandson comes for supper. :) Thank you for making me chuckle and for helping me be open to unexpected discoveries in my walk with God, in my family life, and in my writing. Teddy One rules. For sure.
ReplyDeleteBlessings ~ Wendy Mac