make: do

The title of this blog sums up I commitment I've made to myself. That is to make or do something everyday. We all make or do something everyday. But having a conscience of awareness of trying new things or appreciating the everyday is often absent. So it's about awareness too. Which is where a bit of word play comes. (And I do love word play.) There's make and there's do. But there's also just make do. I think the expression "make do" can come with negative connotations. We don't tend to want to just "make do." There's a perception that making do is what we do when we can't do more. When our hopes and dreams seem too far out of reach. Or that it implies an unwanted struggle. Thinking about this reminded me of these words of Dellarobia Turnbow's from Barbara Kingsolver's Flight Behavior:

"There is no life raft; you're just freaking swimming all the time."

Admittedly, lots of things remind me of this quote. It's frequently at the forefront of my mind. It can read of despair. But I understand it in multiple ways. We have to put effort in to get something out. I'll be the first to own up to being impatient with all that effort. Swimming all the time is freaking exhausting. But we have to keep going. Keep swimming. Keep making do. I've got to believe there can be real contentment in making do. In just living your life the best you can. I imagine it similar to the feeling of swimming. There may be no life raft, but there's a whole pool (or ocean) of water enveloping you and, if you use the right muscles, holding you up.

Photo by Irene Suchocki