Heart Pocket Word for the Day is Calling!

The word from my heart pocket is Calling!

Calling. Vocation. Craft. Profession. Specialty. Life's Work. Career. There has been a lot of buzz around this subject since the world began. We spend so much of our lives agonizing over it. What was I meant to do? How do I recognize it? Will I miss my chance? How do I begin?

I love to tell this story. I was an integral part of a children's theatre for 17 years. One summer, we did a workshop with 45 children and some adults. The musical was Hansel and Gretel. The art teacher who was scheduled wasn't able to come last minute. I filled in. During the time allotted for art, each age group was to create parts of the set. The teenagers worked with the set designer building the 3-dimensional set pieces and painting the backdrop. The middle school aged kids created props like flowers and "bread crumbs". The little ones, ages 5-7, decorated the Gingerbread house. We had an hour to work on our projects. The materials were there and the kids were allowed to use their creativity however they chose. We painted the house - they chose a rainbow of colors. Then I asked them to draw on paper what they would like to make to decorate the house. "Anything you choose!", I said. Almost all of the kids drew candy on their paper. When they finished their drawing, they handed it to me and using the supplies available, began making decorations to put on the house. Most of the children dove right in. They cut out circles and painted candy swirls onto them and glued them on the structure. Licorice and peppermint and candy that looked like Skittles plastered on one whole side. It was great fun! I only offered help when asked. 

As I walked around, I noticed there were 3 children not doing anything. One was a little girl named Sarah who was staring at the facade of the house. I asked if she needed help. She said, "No. I just think it's wrong." "What's wrong?", I asked. "Where they're putting the candy. It looks too even. And the licorice goes on the sides of the house. The peppermints are for the roof. The other candy is for the doorknob and to add color." At first I thought, "There is no right or wrong, Sarah." Then I realized that Sarah knew what she was saying. She saw the Gingerbread house through organized color and, spatially, she  could see the licorice followed the lines of the house, the peppermints were perfect roof tiles and the Skittles and M and M's were wonderful decorative pieces! I asked her to draw it. She drew her ideas quickly and showed them to me. I asked the kids who were making the candies and putting them on the house if they could make it look like the picture. Everybody happily chipped in with no questions asked. Sarah had created a design for the gingerbread house!

There was a little boy sitting in the corner and he was looking at his paper with frustration. "What's up, Derek?", I asked him. "I can't draw it." "What are you trying to draw?" "The security system", he answered. "What do you think is the reason?" He looked at me and then at the paper and then at the piles of crepe paper and crayons and glue and glitter and beads and said, "You don't have the right stuff." I asked Derek to imagine that we had all the right materials and to draw exactly what he saw the security system to be. He got busy.

The last little guy was 6 years old. His named was Travis. He was just staring at his paper and I could see he was almost in tears. "Travis, what's wrong?" He could hardly talk, and when he did, it was so quiet, it was almost apologetic. I coaxed him away from the main group and asked the question again. He said he didn't know how to make things with his hands, that he would "mess up." I told him there was no such thing. He said, "Yes, there is. I always mess things up. I don't want to do this." We talked a bit more and it seemed that already, at age 6, he had a need to "get it perfect." I asked him if he could build a house, any house, what would it look like? He thought about that while he looked at his blank paper. He said, "Do you have a ruler?" We were almost out of time so I told Travis to take his paper home and to bring it back the next day. He grinned at me.

Our Gingerbread House was amazing! It was bright pink with all kinds of licorice sticks made to look like windows and the front door and vertically lining the sides of the cottage. Peppermint candies, Skittles and M and Ms ... and a few gourmet candies decorated the roof and filled in the blank spaces. The Art Director for the show and the older kids were so impressed and the kids felt proud (especially Sarah!). The next day, Derek showed up with not only his drawing, but the most incredible "security system" made of metal bits and pieces and soldered together with the help of his Dad. Amazing!

My favorite, however, was Travis' work. He quietly pulled on my shirt and it was clear he had something he was proud to share.  He spread out a large piece of paper (he had taped 8.5x11 sheets together) and on it was drawn an amazing blueprint of a Gingerbread House. The other kids loved these additions to the house and together we "installed" the security system and taped the blueprint on the front door. Everyone was so proud of their contribution!

 We know what we love to do with our lives from a very early age. Our calling is evident from our playtime. Sarah's mom told me that Sarah spent her play time rearranging her room and helping her around the house. Derek told me he was his dad's helper at his work. His dad had a large machine shop. 

And Travis's parents were artists who couldn't understand their son's hesitancy to express himself through art. He had perfectionist tendencies, but not because he needed to be "right". He was left and right brained, far more linear than his artist parents. He spent his playtime drawing houses! His parents were very accepting of his choices, but didn't see that he was a different type of artist. An architect!

What did you choose to do as play when you were little? What do you choose as play now? Does your work have any link to this kind of activity? Are you able to enjoy your calling in your spare time? Are you finding a way to exercise your natural calling, whatever you love most to do?

A calling can be our job but it can also be something we do for fun. Analyze the components of your calling: structured or freestyle, entrepreneurial or part of a team, financial, artistic, people oriented, for money or volunteer - a combination of things? Play with your calling. Satisfy the urge. Allow it to be a big part of your life. You'll find it will be the quality part of living and if you ignore it, you will feel empty. Think about it. Listen for answers. Heed the call!