Epiphany

Where do your best ideas brew?

In the car?

In the shower?

Around a campfire?

Right before you fall asleep?

In the heat of the moment?

Epiphany!

Mine seem to happen when I’m immersed in some mindless task and don’t have access to the slightest scrap of paper to scribble them down on. Probably more dangerous than texting while driving, I shamelessly admit that I have bent over the console in the midst of navigating to search for anything resembling a gum wrapper. Pens always seem to be a rare commodity too. They would be an easy solution to the problem. I could tattoo the hasty, misshapen idea on the back of my hand. Like tater tots in your pocket, something to savor later. A reminder.

Practicality isn’t always my strong suit.

Stashed in the nook of the driver side door are "free" Clinique gift items: a mini lipstick and mascara. If diamonds are a girl’s best friend, then lipstick might just be a girl’s BFF. This is coming from a person who loves lipstick, but can never wear it properly. I always end up looking like a clown. It doesn’t stay put. It smears up towards my nose almost every time. But, that doesn’t stop me. I still wear it pretty religiously. The optimist in me keeps believing that one day it will adhere to the right spots like superglue. Although, if I had to choose between lipstick and mascara, I would sacrifice the lipstick for the mascara. Mascara is the magical miracle makeup. At least, I think so.

Despite the absence of pens and paper in my buggy, there are a few useful items that can be found hidden among the cosmetics:

A Tom-Tom.

Bank deposit envelopes.

A life vest.

Hand lotion.

A flashlight.

Bug spray.

A blanket.

A whistle.

An ice scraper.

A deck of cards.

A spare tire and jack.

Numerous oil change and other car maintenance receipts.

A map of the NEPA corkscrew, titled, “Off the Beaten Path.”

Real necessities.

Practical or not, the ideas brew when they are ready.

They don’t give mannerly consideration to my current situation or my aptitude to capture them for later use.

And, as a result, they are sometimes lost in the midst of a song that I belt out at the top of my lungs while driving.

I think I just realized that songs are often the water that bring life to the dormant seeds in my mind.

Lyrics rekindle memories.

Memories are material.

I bet you have a bunch.

Put them to paper and see how they transform your life.

There must be something to the “seeing” of your thoughts, outside of yourself, that brings everything into focus.