Finding time and inspiration is all it takes to do blogging.
Sometimes I have neither, and other times I enjoy one and not the other. 
Then I have inspiring thoughts which, in the light of day, seem less brilliant. So why blog? It’s a challenge for myself to write.
I just finished reading an interesting, and educational book, Leonardo and the Last Supper by Ross King. I know I wil never write a book like his, and I will never paint like Leonardo. But I learned something. Did you know that Leonardo was a naturalist? He loved to hike, and he was said to be so strong he could straighten a horseshoe with his bare hands. “Impressive eh?” I read that book to learn, be educated, and to appreciate someone else’s amazing research ability. Leonardo was a person who sometimes failed because he sought perfection, and was trying new methods, and his own ideas.
I would like to try to write a book. I had an idea the idea for characters in a book for myself to write. It is crazy all the things to consider if you ever want to write a book. What kind of book will it be? Fiction, factual, mystery, humorous or travel.
What about the characters? Male or Female, or both? What are their names and their background? I wondered whether male authors tend to write male characters?
Where would be story take place? or would it change because the characters are mobile?
I remember writing stories in grade school, and don’t remember my teacher encouraging me to write more; so I doubt my writing then showed any special promise. So no encouragement there eh?
But I know what I am capable of attempting. I could not attempt to perform musically, and my juggling skills are limited and I still do not own a unicycle therefore I must attempt what is at least theoretically possible.
Theoretically I can write if I am willing to try, and willing to attempt, and risk failure.
I am encouraged to attempt, and to fail trying rather than failing to attempt.
The oldest marathoner is 101 years old, he recently ran 5 KM and complained it was too short for him to break a sweat. I think that speaks volumes, don’t you? He complains the challenge was not there and he is 101 years old. He has nothing to prove but he is still running. How many are decades younger and tell themselves they can’t even attempt a marathon?
I read an interesting piece in the local paper, Penticton Herald, and the author said – Have you failed at anything lately? No? Too bad he said. Then likely you are not trying new things, you are doing only what you know you can do, and you are failing to make goals for yourself. No goals, and no challenges – sounds dreary. You never fail, but you never surprise yourself, you could lack adventure!
My thoughts of the person who never failed envisioned him as the person who bought a treadmill but always walked…………….. walked slowly, ………………. on the level. Then there is the person who buys a treadmill but it bounces all over, speed changes, the track is uphill like a mountain one minute and the person using it is constantly challenged.
ONLY one person of those two climbs off the the treadmill and feels triumphant. That same person sometimes fails, but he also knows the thrill of success. The other person’s experience is predictable. Nothing wrong with predictable sometimes, but always nicer to enjoy the thrill of success especially with the risk of failure.
Self-portrait by Leonardo da Vinci, executed in red chalk sometime between 1512 and 1515 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
When Leonardo painted the The Lord’s Supper, he was risking failure. He had never done a fresco before, and he wanted his Lord’s Supper to be different, realistic and lifelike. These Lord’s Supper types of paintings were not uncommon, but Leonardo’s Lord’s Supper was done differently, the characters were painted more lifelike and even the preparation of the wall, and paints were unique. Leonardo risked failure, and enjoyed the thrill of success.
Have you failed recently? I hope so because then you were doing something, you had a goal, you tried something new and different for yourself. That’s wonderful, I hope you fail and succeed more and more.
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