A story I heard years ago told of a man studying to be a priest. One of the students'challenges was to speak extemporaneously on a topic written on a piece of paper under their dinner plate. This young man's paper was blank! Nothing on either side. He hesitated to collect his thoughts and then said, "On this piece of paper there is nothing," (pause for colleague laughter) "And it was from just this kind of nothing that God created everything." He then launched into an inspirational message on creation.
August is my piece of nothing. Since early childhood this is the month I wanted to wish away. My beloved trees are beginning their transition to winter rest. Garden harvests are dying on the vine. Grass becomes amber instead of emerald. And something in the air just pats down my energy like a salve I can't breathe through. August is my transition month and I'd like to eliminate it. This time period zaps my energy rather than sparking it. I feel the call to sleep in every cell of my being; to rest up for the real love of my life, -- adventureous learning! In my youth going to school to unlock more secrets than I knew existed and savoring each (except math maybe) was like an unending buffet.
I'm in a different school now. The longing to learn still pulls at me during this languishing month each year. Yet I don't have the control of a calendar starting date. Aging forces me to set goals in new ways; on my own and with little help from guidance counselors. What will I make of my nothing? A long list of things I always thought would interest me? One specific focus that will consume all my energy and focus my three months heading into Christmas? Or perhaps no list at all; just tear that paper nothing into a ship or star and let my imagination lead me to all things exciting and nourishing.
From nothing God created all things. Perhaps I could create just one?
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