A Pause-the-Podcast Moment

When it comes to sharing these posts, I’ve focused on sharing things I find useful. But today, I’d like to share something that I find beautiful. 

I went for a walk this weekend and turned on a podcast called Magic Lessons with Elizabeth Gilbert (one of my favorites). Liz was interviewing the poet and storyteller Mark Nepo, and they discussed the question, “Who gets to decide whether you’re a legitimate artist?”

Mark described the common occurrence where, if you have a lovely singing voice, eventually someone will say, “You should be a singer.” Or, if you have a way with words, “You should be a writer.” A compliment that I’m sure we’ve all heard or said in one way or another.

And then Mark says, “There’s nothing wrong with those things, but notice that we’re being told to become a noun. And the vitality of life is in staying a verb.”

This was a pause the podcast moment.

“…the vitality of life is in staying a verb.”

Liz goes on to point out that those well-intended individuals are asking you “to become something you’re already doing.” And we do this to ourselves, too. I think the lesson here is to notice when we’re placing more weight on the title and the label than the doing and the living.

I don’t have much commentary to add. I simply wanted to share this because it moved me. And maybe it moved you too.

Keep doing. Keep living.
Keep staying a verb.