The Grass Stain Guru

Ever feel boxed in?

You know the feeling, right? It’s not a good one, but I have come to realize over the years, it is an incredible useful one — the feeling of being boxed in.

It hit me this weekend. Feeling boxed in. Under-inspired. Again, like an old acquaintance that you would rather avoid, but once you agree to that cup of coffee with them, you realize they are in your life for a reason.

Hello box, shall we dance?

Over the last few years, I have found some really useful tools to help me turn that feeling into an opportunity to break the box.

One was starting this blog, and giving my voice a place to live other than inside a meeting room or simply inside my head.

My favorite tool to fight the box is my passport, and letting the girl with the crooked smile and the phrase book wonder off on her own to see what there is to see. Naturally, this tool is not always accessible, but I really do try and keep it dust-free.

Often, I turn to the words of others as useful tools for busting the box that I have made. In books, poems, or songs I seek inspiration. Volunteer work is another great tool — giving back or trying something totally new.

Oddly enough, some of my favorite tools come to me via You Tube, which amidst the funny cat videos and cover songs of earnest young musicians, hides a treasure trove of box-breaking tools and footholds for those in need.

Favorites include Elizabeth Gilbert and Sir Ken Robinson, of course. And the list would not be complete without Randy Pausch. If you have never watched his final lecture — or if it’s been awhile — find some time to do just that and give yourself the permission to dream. Again.

Today I am not TGSG, simply Bethe, who is writing and dreaming her way out of the box.

See you out there…
photo credit: futureshape