Be as a child.

I so enjoyed just now reading this wonderful reflection by David Halperin on the philosophy of Peanuts, A Lesson From Sally Brown | My Blog, that I had to share it here right away.

Halperin writes:

To brood about the “futility” of this or that action, the very concept of “futility,” is alien to a child.  The child simply does, and the delight of the doing is sufficient. 

I am privileged to have the opportunity to attend an all-day workshop led by Halperin at the end of the month in Greensboro for the NC Writers’ Network conference.  Halperin already has brought some influential ideas into my head via his blog.

As I work with the writers for the 2011 Essays on Childhood project, I notice natural ebbs and flows in their confidence in whether or not putting some of their experiences down on paper is 1) a good idea, and 2) something they think they can do well.  This post from Halperin reminds us that it is the doing that is our joy, and our satisfaction, and yes even our achievement.

Whether you are a writer or not, I hope today you will find yourself in the midst of something you love to do, and not over-analyze it.  Simply bask in the pure pleasure of doing something you enjoy, and don’t worry so much about what it’s for or what “the result” was.

Be as a child.  Enter the kingdom of heaven by just doing.  That is enough.

Image credit: E. Gaucher