“For sale: baby shoes, never worn.” Reading this six-word piece of flash fiction, purportedly penned by author Ernest Hemingway, always made me feel sad. Like other people, I wondered about the tragic tale and about the fate of the baby. Now, I know of a plausible good ending to the story. A month ago, I decided to sew shoes for my infant granddaughter. I worked on them sporadically throughout the month, as there never seemed to be enough time to sit down for more than five minutes. By the time I finally finished embroidering the last of the three pairs and tried them on Charlotte, they were too small. Babies’ feet grow all too quickly. Alas, I have baby shoes for sale, never worn.
#1 – Workspaces of the Famous
Some people think that Ernest Hemingway wrote the six-word story while he was at lunch with friends and not in his office. Was he that much of a literary genius to produce incredible work just anywhere? Where do you do your best creative work and what does your creative space look like? Check out these Inspiring Workspaces of the Famously Creative and see if your workspace more closely resembles that of Georgia O’Keefe or that of Alexander Calder.
#2 – Six Things
Hemingway’s six words provoked much thought. Here are six quotes about “six things” that will certainly inspire you at least six times over:
#3 – Toast, Anyone?
If you wake up at 6:00 in the morning and are looking for an energy-boosting breakfast, look no further. Here are 21 Energy-Boosting Breakfast Toasts. They all look good to me!
#4 – Six Innovations
If you had to name six innovations that made the modern world, what would they be? Author Steven Johnson did that in his book “How We Got to Now: Six Innovations That Made the Modern World” and for the accompanying PBS television series. He interviewed last year with SFGate to discuss how he “traveled the globe to tell the little-known stories of men and women who came up with revolutionary innovations of modern civilization.” Read about how he crawled through the sewers in San Francisco and learn more about some of the innovations he researched here.
#5 – Creativity
“Creativity is not a talent or ability. It is the fruit of a person’s decision to matter.”
Eric Maisel
Now go and spread joy!
