Wikipedia defines a scarecrow as, “a device – traditionally a human figure or mannequin dressed in old clothes – placed in fields by farmers to discourage birds such as crows from disturbing and feeding on recently cast seed and growing crops.” Crows high-tail it out of town each Fall when Cheekwood fills up its grounds with scarecrows of all shapes and sizes. Some are scary, some sweet, some ghoulish, some silly, but all interesting. As I enjoyed the perfect Fall day and wandered around the grounds enjoying the creativity and variety of the 65 plus scarecrows on display this year, it occurred to me that we all need scarecrows.
How many times have you had an idea, a plan, a moment of inspiration that became bird food? Maybe you negative-talked your way out of it before it even saw the light of day. Maybe you mentioned it to a friend or family member and they laughed. Maybe you pitched it to your boss and were shot down. Maybe its happened so many times that those ideas now enter stage left of your mind and saunter across to exit stage right without bothering to pause to let you get a closer look. Maybe dreams don’t even make it on stage anymore. Maybe they just slink around in the shadows, evaporating soundlessly.
Inspiration, dreams and ideas need a safe place to grow. A recent blog post by Darren Hardy, publisher of Success magazine linked to a document in which a man listed several pages of pithy advice earned in his 102 years of life. One of those nuggets was to nourish the dreams of your children, no matter how outlandish or unrealistic. I’ve thought about that several times today. Initially I saw it as a call to support our kids. But, as I thought about it more, I realized how truly important it is to teach and encourage our children—and each other—how to dream, how to create a safe haven for ideas and inspiration.
I’ll have a few more things to say about scarecrows in the coming weeks, but for now…
What are the crows in your world? Negative mental voices? Or other people? Do you ever play the part of a crow to your family, friends or business associates?
What kind of scarecrow can you construct to keep the seeds of your inspirations and ideas safe until they’re healthy enough to stand or fail on their own? I’m interested in your ideas, let’s hear ‘em…
P.S. From now on, expect to hear from me every Monday and Thursday!
