The Story in Your Hands

As parents, raising our children gives us the opportunity to relive certain parts of our own lives--parts we may have even forgotten about entirely. Last week, I took my daughter to perform (along with the rest of her pre-school class) at her school's talent show. As I held her little hand when we walked into the auditorium, her hand squeezed mine and I could feel that combination of excitement and nervousness.

I took her to join the rest of her classmates. And as my wife and I took our seats, I started to think about the way my daughter squeezed my hand, because it was a sensation my hand had never felt before.

Though I'm only 32, my hands have felt many things. They have felt what it was like to grow up in poverty, taking hand-me-down coats and mittens from local charities so that I did not freeze in bitter cold Detroit winters. They have felt what it was like to ball into a fist, and break the nose of a local bully who was picking on my baby sister. They have felt the turning off hundreds of thousands of pages, as books became not only an escape, but eventually a career. They have felt the blisters growing on fingertips as I labored for hours every day to learn the guitar. And years later they felt the joy of being able to dance across a guitar neck with Satriani-esque precision. They have felt the bite of handlebar rubber as I raced my mountain bike off of cliffs and around hairpin corners. And they have felt several of their fingers broken in a 28 MPH downhill wipeout.

My hands have felt their knuckles whiten as they clenched the phone, trying desperately to talk a friend off the ledge of suicide...and failing. And they have felt their other selves the first time I held my wife's hands in my own. They have also held my daughter, minutes after her birth, with her head badly bruised and her body bloody from a very difficult delivery. And those same hands have held her fevered body close to mine, rocking until we both fell asleep.

Last week, though, my hands experienced something new. They felt the sensation of my daughter as she readied herself to perform in front of others for the first time in her life. They clapped fervently and with immeasurable pride as she performed so well. And they hugged her so close when she was done, letting her know that, on that stage and every other stage she will encounter in her life, I love her and will always be there for her.

And as she hugged me back, her little hands were creating another story.

What about you? What is the story in your hands?

Clearly, I'm Unemployed.

I had a unique experience today. For the first time in my entire working life (16 years to date), I was let go. While I'm still unclear as to the reason, I refuse the let the change get me down. Whenever I've moved from one position to another, I've always been thankful for the opportunities I've been given, appreciative of the new things I've been able to learn, and eager to begin moving forward at doing my best in the next adventure. This is no exception.

In many respects, this change will allow me to move forward with other interests I have put on hold out of a basic respect for my former employer. Because that is no longer and issue, I'm putting myself out there.

As of now, I'm available on a freelance basis for those who would like the benefit of a writer (both copywriting and creative writing) with no shortage of ideas, a crazy good work ethic, and an ability to get along swimmingly with anyone. I'm also available for speaking engagements regarding the nature of creativity and how to harness it. And because my creativity knows no bounds, I'm also available for audio production/scoring engagements as I have my own studio and more than 10 years of production experience.

Moving forward, I do have some plans that might interest all of you. I'm currently working on the second edition of my book, Tapping Creativity. I'll be updating sections on blogging and others, as well as including my free eBook "The Lonely Writer". That said, if there are topics that you would like to see covered in the book and on this blog, please feel free to comment.

Also, if you purchase the first edition of Tapping Creativity now, I will send you a copy of the second edition for free when it is completed (and before it is available for sale). You can purchase Tapping Creativity here or contact at tappingcreativity@gmail.com to purchase that way...or, you know, because you want to see a fantastic resume.