In 2006, a teacher at Xavier High School in New York had her students write a letter to their favorite author inviting him/her to come speak to the class. Only one author, Kurt Vonnegut, answered. He turned down the invitation, but his reply is heartwarming:
November 5, 2006
Dear Xavier High School, and Ms. Lockwood, and Messrs Perin, McFeely, Batten, Maurer and Congiusta:
I thank you for your friendly letters. You sure know how to cheer up a really old geezer (84) in his sunset years. I don’t make public appearances any more because I now resemble nothing so much as an iguana. What I had to say to you, moreover, would not take long, to wit: Practice any art, music, singing, dancing, acting, drawing, painting, sculpting, poetry, fiction, essays, reportage, no matter how well or badly, not to get money and fame, but to experience becoming, to find out what’s inside you, to make your soul grow.
Seriously! I mean starting right now, do art and do it for the rest of your lives. Draw a funny or nice picture of Ms. Lockwood, and give it to her. Dance home after school, and
sing in the shower and on and on. Make a face in your mashed potatoes. Pretend you’re Count Dracula.Here’s an assignment for tonight, and I hope Ms. Lockwood will flunk you if you don’t do it: Write a six line poem, about anything, but rhymed. No fair tennis without a net.
Make it as good as you possibly can. But don’t tell anybody what you’re doing. Don’t show it or recite it to anybody, not even your girlfriend or parents or whatever, or Ms.
Lockwood. OK? Tear it up into teeny-weeny pieces, and discard them into widely separated trash receptacles. You will find that you have already been gloriously rewarded for your poem. You have experienced becoming, learned a lot more about what’s inside you, and you have made your soul grow.God bless you all!
Kurt Vonnegut
Yes! That’s why I play with my oil pastels and toss the results in the trash can. And why I would write my posts even if no one ever commented — not that I don’t love comments too!
What about you?
Yes, for me too, my blogging is the substitute.
🙂
Yes, I guess we should all be a bit more child-like and playful and not worrying about whether we’re behaving like a grown adult ought to behave (according to whom, I wonder?). Jenny and I fool around all the time, taking advantage of our domestic privacy to be as crazy as we like.
Good for you two!
I don’t think I’d keep writing my blog if nobody commented. One of the joys of blogging is all the varied and interesting comments I get. Without those, there wouldn’t be much point.
That’s fine too. Writing every day enriches my life.
I think part of the enjoyment of blogging is the comments, as this lets us know who our readers are, and what they are thinking of what we post. It is very encouraging and interactive.
Part of the enjoyment, but for me not all.
Do you do anything for the sheer joy of it?
besides my “it depends” – I also have “because I can” and that does sometimes relates to putting things into the rubbish “can” through to giving it a “try” but whether I do it daily is another point entirely…because “it depends” if I “can” or even want to 🙂
i’m awake earlier today, Friday, because my neighbours obviously finishing work earlier today so they have gone out at least 45mins earlier than the norm…it’s a dull morning, ground is damp – but I too need to go out today (mostly to take a book due today, can’t renew online) … so when I’m entirely “awake/dressed” I shall wander down to the village.
It depends is always a good answer. 🙂
Lately I’ve started writing memories and I can’t believe how much I’m learning about my mother from putting together bits and pieces of things she said over the years.
That sounds like a great project. I’m happy for you.
I love your new avatar photo!
I think I create something everyday.
Whether it’s writing on my blog
Or commenting on another.
I also try to randomly write funny things on Facebook.
I also post photos that I take quite often on Instagram
And I take great care to make them look nice.
So that’s creating. Photography.
I also almost always draw little illustrations (of the dogs that boarding with me)
on to the cards that I make up and hang on their baskets.
I do random doodles of projects that I’m trying to work out in my head.
And currently I’m working on a kinda big project involving multiple paintings but I won’t reveal the details yet! Lol!
So yeah, although some of the stuff no one sees, I still scribble.
But on a side note about blogging.
I really enjoy it.
It helps to get thoughts out of my head.
But most importantly it links me to friends who get me.
People who understand and people who inspire and people who make me laugh and if no one ever commented….
I’d stop writing it and be very sad.
😀
Xoxoxo
Yes, you do plenty of creative things! And I’m so glad you share some of them with us via your blog. 🙂
Hi, Jean!!! It has been many years since we have seen each other! Reading this it seems like yesterday!
“…. but to experience becoming, to find out what’s inside you, to make your soul grow,” has been the story of my life! My husband Rudy and I are both concert violinists. I became an artist, oils, but like charcoal drawing best! Rudy and I had a stained glass studio after our first retirement. Rudy continues to write theology and historical novels. I do historical research, genealogy and speak locally on such.
Our best “experience becoming, to find out what’s inside you, to make your soul grow” has been, at first, establishing and building Lutheran congregations, which led to both of us serving handicapped and at risk children in the public schools.
Raising three girls gave us eight grandchildren who are already making their mark on the world was definitely a “soul growing” experience. They multiply quickly. (Knew you’d like a reference to mathematics somewhere here!) We will welcome our seventh great grand in April.
We built our own home in Columbia, CA. We downsized to Texas three years ago. Our family is spread over the western states.
During all 56 years of our marriage we have enjoyed our dogs! … My Swedish grandfather gave us a Dachshund and a TV set for a wedding present. Most recently, we have adopted two senior dogs, “seniors helping seniors”. …… How are your “experience(s) becoming, to find out what’s inside you, to make your soul grow, going? ……
Thank you so much for writing! What a delight after all these years.
Your family is a lot larger than ours — one daughter, a son-in-law, and two grandpups. And you clearly have a lot more musical and artistic talent than I do. That’s why I like the Vonnegut letter. Lack of talent shouldn’t stop us.
My real art is the intrapersonal. I’ve always been taken by Thoreau’s,
I’m not sure I’ve had any “elevated and critical” hours, but I do pretty well in my everyday moments. 🙂