A Different Story

When I win my Academy Award (which will come as a complete surprise because I have no connection with the motion picture industry), they will not need to start playing the make-her-stop-talking-and-get-her-off-the-stage music to get me to quickly wind up my flowery speech. I’m pretty sure I’ll be standing there behind the podium blank faced muttering something like, “Umm . . . how’d this happen?”

No Academy Award to contend with, thankfully, but Jennifer over at Quail and Manna and More Than Just Adam’s Rib was kind enough this week to send the Kreativ Blogger award my way. That kind of left me standing here behind my own little podium saying, “Umm . . . how’d this happen?”

See, I still get pretty surprised every day when anyone shows up to read. So to have Jennifer take note in the first place (she’s smart, and funny, and insightful and loves Jesus), and then stick my name in the company of two of my favorite bloggers out there (and frankly, among the very best), Getting Down with Jesus and What I Learned Today, well, it kind of just makes my head spin. I’m humbled, and not just a little bewildered.

There are rules to this award, rules I’m having trouble following. First one is easy, though. I linked back to Jennifer. Happy to do that.

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I’m trying to deflect attention away from myself (thus the links to the good folks above), but the rules say I have to tell you all about seven things that I love that show my creativity. With those words, any creativity I might have had just sucked clean out of the room.  Blogging and craving attention may look to you like they go hand in hand. But trust me. Many of us like to fly under the radar. Blogging in some strange way actually helps us do that. Some of you will understand that. The rest will just have confirmed what you always believed about how I never makes sense. I digress.

Here’s the thing. I’m scratching my head over these seven things. Seven seems like a really big number all of a sudden.

But then it occurs to me that I have an interview coming up. And what if the hiring manager should ask, “What are seven things you love that show your creativity?” Because, really, in the insurance business, that’s one of the key things they look at. It’s a highly creative industry, insurance. (Who knew?) It’s amazing I have a job to be losing right now, because I ferociously botched that question the last time around.

So rather than just come up with some reason not to answer the question for Jennifer (more links, get off this page and go read something worthwhile), I thought I could take this opportunity to bone up on my interview skills. It’s been a while.

Here we go. Seven things I love that show my creativity.

1. On the weekends, I love to rise early, and after a thorough housecleaning, to prepare gourmet meals from scratch.
2. I love to invite in lots and lots of guests to share those fabulous meals.
3. I enjoy my evening job as a manicurist.
4. I find interpretive dance not only a creative outlet but wonderfully relaxing.
5. I can’t resist taking in and caring for stray cats abandoned by their mothers.
6. I can’t get enough exercise and athletic activity. I play roller hockey two nights a week.
7. Apparently, I can also add pathological lying to my creative talents.

I hope I can remember them all when I interview. Seriously, there are a lot of things I love to do, though I’m not sure how much any of them reveal a creative heart. I can assure you, however, they have little to do with cooking, manicures, dancing or even stray cats. And for sure not roller hockey. Those girls scare me.

The other rule calls for me to pass the award on to another seven bloggers. But I follow a really good bunch of really good blogs, and I’m just at a loss as to picking just seven to highlight here. So we can also add creative rule breaking to my list, I suppose.

Now, conveniently, I think I hear that exit music playing after all. So I’ll have to scoot off the stage before that lady with the fancy dress and crazy eyes comes to escort me.

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