I’ve confessed that I’m praying I will learn to savor the process as much as I enjoy the finished work—when the campaign is launched or the book is written or the meal is served. I admit, I love the beginnings of things when there’s wide open space for ideas to flourish. And I love the ends of things, when the champagne glasses clink and the evidence of heart-felt commitment is seen. But between those two places, in the head-down, keep-going, hit-the-wall-and-run-some-more,pressing-on-toward-the-prize work, I grow weary. I forget to stack stones in remembrance, forget to look up to see the view ahead of me, forget to catch my breath. So, I’m praying and I’m learning. Some days I walk with confidence and some days are more of a stumble, but I’m learning that the rough drafts in our lives deserve celebration too. Sometimes stepping back to gaze at the road we’ve walked gives us strength to keep walking. Sometimes the floodwaters we feel might drown us carry us to our safe shore. Sometimes the nothing we see in front of us has all the makings of something worth pursuing.
Sometimes we take a moment to see that the rough draft isn’t so rough at all. In fact, it holds incomparable beauty too.
Today, I celebrate the rough draft, the notes in journals, the voice memos and emails and scribbles on Post-Its, the cursing under my breath and tears wiped away quickly and deep breaths to regain focus, the late-night ramblings and before-dawn dreams. All are priceless on this journey. I’m praying for your rough drafts too—whatever they may be. Savor them, love.