Kitchen Sink Revelations

Kitchen Sink Revelations
"Only practice what you want to do well."

You know those moments. It is when life has been swirling around you at 90 MPH and then suddenly, for only a moment, it stops. For some people it happens in the shower, some during morning prayer, right before bed, or while their doing dishes at the kitchen sink. I'm a multi opportunity daydreamer myself.

Today it happened during morning prayer. I was sitting there letting my mind wander - naughty me - when I stumbled upon the topic of Benjamin Franklin. I have always thought he was an interesting fellow. A genius of his time, Franklin was able to resolve conflicts between countries, weave through diplomatic agendas, and at 84 helped to create order out of chaos during the Constitutional Convention. He was obviously a superhero. But how did he do it?

Ben Franklin, according to his autobiography, started out as a pretty simple guy. He was an average son in an average family with average siblings and an average educational opportunity. What seems to set Franklin apart was his remarkable sense of what to practice.

"Practice only what you want to do well," flashed across my mind. Whoa. To a pianist practice really means something. It means doing something over and over, each time refining, criticing, and refining again, until you get the exact result that you want.

Benjamin Franklin engrossed himself in reading and study on numerous topics, particularly logic and debate. Then, after he had studied, he would practice it. He became so good at debate, according to his autobiography, that he feared he had become too powerful, being now able to convince anyone of anything. (I personally would love such a gift if it meant more help around the house.)

There are alot of things I would like to do better; communication, logic, teaching, study, handiwork, exercise, relationships. I wonder if I am really using my time to practice what I actually want to do well. Probably not. More likely, I am a triathlon movie viewer, an expert web surfer, and an elite procrastinator. Perhaps I should regoal my practice time.

Note: For those who are interested, a copy of Benjamin Franklin's daily routine is online at http://dailyroutines.typepad.com/daily_routines/2007/07/benjamin-frankl.html . You can see how every morning he worked in a few hours to "prosecute the present study."