scooter

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When Creative Juices Flow, Don’t Stop Them

One should never let their creative juices dry up. It doesn’t matter in what way you are creative, the important thing is never stop being so.

When creative juices flow don't stop them

Creativity is the spice of life. It’s what makes ordinary things fun, exciting, heart-pumping. 

Last year my brother and I bought scooters for using up at our cottages in the summer. We turned some heads in our sleepy little summer town of Sauble Beach … not because we were riding electric scooters, but because we are in our late 60’s bombing around at 30 km/h on these two-wheeled platforms. (Read about it here.)

To be honest, I think we started a little bit of a trend in Sauble because I’ve seen a lot more adults riding scooters since we started.

Not only are electric scooters fun to ride around on, but they are also practical.

Our cottages are in a park that has a few designated structures to take garbage and recycling to. Instead of walking our bags and recycling containers to the garbage barns, we can now zoom over to them on our scooters.

However, sometimes there is too much to carry on a scooter. Sometimes things get a little precarious – like taking my recycling container to the barn. I have to place it on the platform of my scooter and squeeze my knees against it so that it doesn’t fall off and spill everything out.

Even more difficult is getting a 30-pound propane tank refilled at the station. Just imagine pressing both legs against a round tank going about 20 km/h. It takes some skill … not that we can’t do that, because we have on multiple occasions. 

… And that is where the creative juices comes in. So when they start flowing, you can’t stop what’s produced. 

My brother, John, and I recently got the idea to make trailers for our scooters. … I know, it sounds rather funny. Still we get smiles on our faces thinking about it.

We started imagining how to make them, watched some YouTube videos and came up with a design. We used pvc piping, thinking it would be cheap and easy. … Let me just say that all those T-joints and elbows really add up ($$), not to mention that the wheels ended up being a lot more expensive than we thought!

We figured out a way to attach the cart to the scooter and then began cutting the piping and dry-fitting all the joints and elbows together. When it was all together, we tested it out and it worked. 

Then came the hard part of gluing all the pieces together. The gluing wasn’t difficult, but keeping all those pieces in correct alignment when we glued and set them was. We couldn’t make any adjustments or tweaks after about ten seconds.

Now when we drive by, people are not just smiling at the two old guys on scooters, they are doubled over laughing! 

Here’s the thing: When you look at the world around you – trees, rivers, lakes, sunsets, mountains, fields – you know they point to some amazing creative juices at work. And while no one laughs when they gaze at them, they do think they are amazing. That is what God has made, not random, not by chance, but by design. Discover God through nature and learn about Him in the Bible. 

That’s life!

Paul

Question: What gets your creative juices flowing? Leave your comments and questions below.

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Creating Joy For Someone Else Should Be Our Daily Mission
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Creating Joy For Someone Else Should Be Our Daily Mission

Creating joy in someone’s life is a good thing. I think everyone should strive to do it more. 

creating joy for someone else should be our daily mission

Who knows? Maybe we’d have fewer wars in the world; we’d all get along better.

I’m not sure why we don’t intentionally create joy for others. Maybe it’s that we are so self-absorbed with our own stuff that we don’t think of others.

Personality is a factor in creating joy for others as well. Some people just don’t think of it. 

Me, however, I’m often thinking of it – especially with cashiers in whatever store I’m in. I do have to be in the right mood and not in a hurry, but I will often say something or do something that will make them smile.

I’ve also brought a smile to more than one waiter’s face, just by initiating a brief conversation about their day or about customers like me.

It’s pretty easy and it comes naturally to me. 

My wife, Lily, often just shakes her head and smiles, which for me also means I’ve created a little bit of joy for her.

The fact is you feel good when you can put a smile on someone’s face. It’s not much but it makes an impact. 

Recently my brother and I bought scooters. 

Ya, no, not the kind you power by pushing with your foot on the pavement. These are electric and can go 31 kilometres per hour. We got them to bomb around the little beach town we vacation at.

Our wives were not convinced we needed them but we said we could do short grocery runs with them and quickly scoot to the beach to see what the water was like and then report back.

… Sure, that wasn’t all that convincing but we got them anyway. And we’ve been ripping them everywhere, of course with the throttle wide open all the time. 

We’re starting to get a reputation in the park. 

My brother, John, was at the park office talking to the owner who told John he had had to tell a teenager to slow down on her scooter. 

One of the ladies in the office piped up, with a smile on her face, “Yes, I see a couple of grey haired men bombing around on them too!”

A few days later I rode my scooter down to the office. I could see two ladies behind the desk chuckling away. I knew the laughs were for me. So when I entered the office I said to them, “You have to get one. They’re pretty fun.” 

That comment just produced more giggles which worked into me creating joy in their lives.

As I left the office, one of the women said, “You and your brother are reliving your childhood, aren’t you?”

Big smiles all the way around. I was smiling and they both had big grins on their faces. 

Just another day of creating a little joy in someone’s life.

Here’s the thing: God is the source of all joy. If you’ve been touched by the deep joy that God gives, it should be in you to create for others. If you haven’t, I encourage you to seek God. His joy comes as a gift along with His acceptance, love and forgiveness. His joy will help you create joy in other people. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: How have you created joy for someone this week? Leave your comments and questions below.

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