Bleed on the Page

A dear friend of mine from college called me recently. We chatted for a few minutes to catch up on life, share photos of our growing families and have a few good laughs about our college antics.

After a bit of small talk, the reason for his call emerged. He was planning a big career move. He had been teaching at a small college in the western part of the United States for the better part of 5 years. He recently received a notice that the school was not renewing his contract but they would pay him for the remaining 3 months. He had the rare gift of 3 months paid vacation albeit without a job.

My friend talked for maybe 15 minutes as he relayed his situation and explained some of the brimming ideas in his head. For the 10 plus years I’ve known him he’s had an entrepreneurial spirit. He had strong convictions this might be his opportunity to lean into that spirit. However, he is a loving husband and a father to 4 children - he wanted to do things right.

I don’t pretend to know everything and was not sure how to answer my friend after hearing his situation. I acknowledged he had a unique moment before him and after saying a few prayers an idea entered my own consciousness. The thought was a simple one - bleed on the page.

My wife works as a mental health counselor and one of the suggestions she gives her clients is to journal. There are few things more productive for the human soul to process its feelings than to put them into words. There is power in writing. One could say writing is an empowering act for creating tangible form out of what the soul knows intangibly.

The phrase from Hemingway is exactly what I gave to my friend from college. Bleed on the page. When there are no words- when feelings and emotions are all that seem to be present. Bleed. Open a vein and bleed.

The same can be said for any of us when we are racking our brains for something to write on our blog or for an essay. Bleed. The heart is a wellspring of life and there is no limit to its influence. Vulnerability, yes, that is required for connecting to the human spirit. We may face rejection or at the very least misunderstanding, but your spirit will be unbridled. You will put into words what was once only ethereal. In the end, it is the act of connecting heaven to earth.

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