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LET SLIP THE RANDOM ACTS OF THINKING
The vehicle before me on the open road sports a sign, “Fueled by Compressed Natural Gas.”
Aren’t we all?
The imagined title of a book destined never to hit the New York Times bestseller list, “Eat All You Want and Gain Unlimited Weight.”
I don’t need to read it, I’ve lived it.
And one more: “When Good Things Happen to Bad People.” I hate when that happens.
So what’s the point of tossing these scrambled thoughts at you?
Well, this random act of thinking is meant to stimulate you, stimulate myself, into thinking outside The Dome, into revving up the imagination, into flushing out junk ideas in order to get way down into where all the good and great thoughts conceal themselves.
Phrases from books well read stay with me well beyond the pale. These phrases may mean something important if they remain floating about for an extended length of time.
Phrases like, “It reminded me of the irretrievable moment in childhood when we have not a care in the world.” That’s from author Jason Segal.
Here’s another, “If they give you ruled paper, write the other way.” Juan Ramon Jimenez said that. It will swim about in my head until I absorb the metaphor and learn to apply it or live it.
Even graffiti can leave a lasting impression, “Soon we’ll all be older.”
You don’t have to be talented or a genius or even skilled to think a great thought. Here’s one: “My theology, briefly, is that the universe was dictated, but not signed.” I could have said that, only Christopher Morley beat me to it.
What started all this? I am scheduled to conduct a writing workshop for high school students at Trinity School in Montgomery. I’ve learned over the years that, when speaking with an audience, I must first determine whether they are alive and energized, whether they are in the moment or just coasting. One way to do this is to toss them thoughts both common and great, then encourage them to throw in their own inspirations and ideas. Once they become part of the creative process, my job will be easy. If the audience has no ownership of the subject at hand, the session will be a dud.
When a voice within screams, “They’re alive! They’re alive!” I will be prepped and ready to lead, ready to guide them toward some kind of appreciation of the written word. Ready to let slip the random acts of thinking in which they wade. Ready to show them how to teach a writing workshop to me, the student.
Wish me luck. Better still, wish me success
© Jim Reed 2018 A.D.
http://www.jimreedbooks.com/podcast