What’s the best work you’ve ever done?
Daily | September 2nd, 2008
Crowning glory, your finest moment, your magnum opus, four gold stars…
Carrie says: In my first year of Fashion Design in London I had to make a huge end of the year presentation of my portfolio. Drawing is not a talent of mine so I created a book full of notes in pencil, torn magazine pages, collected leaves, a collage of my treasured ideas. My teacher said, “There is one that stood out for its beauty and uniqueness, she colors outside the lines.” it was moi!
Danielle says: My wedding was a work of art. It was a three-day affair at an old kid’s camp in a rural town. Twinkly lights, music everywhere, French toast, yoga – everyone had something they could get down with. People let loose in the best possible way (think harmonicas, and red wine, and people disappearing into the woods with new stories to tell in the morning). Besides that labour of love, I always feel my best “work” is yet to come. Everyday is another opportunity to be truer, stronger, clearer.
Read today’s blog: Danielle’s Sacred Time Management Tips.
The copyright of the article What’s the best work you’ve ever done? in Daily is owned by Carrieanddanielle.com. Permission to republish What’s the best work you’ve ever done? in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
Read more at Carrie and Danielle: Daily
September 2nd, 2008 at 12:46 am
Finishing my first novel last year. It’s not my best work, but writing THE END after years of work was so liberating. I’ve wanted to be a ‘writer’ since I was a child, and I felt like I finally deserved this epithet. That simple shift has changed everything, from my confidence to my output, and I am so grateful for it.
September 2nd, 2008 at 12:50 am
Completing 30 days of Ashtanga and Bikram yoga in a row, when I had only done 1 Ashtanga class before I started. I learnt a new respect and love for my body, which carries me on every day.
September 2nd, 2008 at 3:27 am
Giving birth to my two beautiful girls – nurturing, teaching, encouraging and loving them is the best days work I’ve ever done!
September 2nd, 2008 at 4:12 am
Designing and building my house and I’m not an architect. I longed for a home after more than a decade as an unsettled expatriate. Life’s unexpected turns has that house on the market now, but I’m about to begin a major renovation of my next home, a small 1928 bungalow that I’m certain I can breathe new life into.
September 2nd, 2008 at 4:17 am
Well, the best work I have ever done is giving birth to my two children and then raising them to adulthood. LOL.
With all seriousness and kidding aside, the second best thing I have ever done is a 50th hard-bound birthday book for a woman whose courage and grace battling cancer would bring tears to your eyes. As we all know, a circle of girlfriends can boost your immune system better than vitamins. I compiled pictures that memorialized this circle of friends and how the woman who was battling cancer touched each of our lives.
September 2nd, 2008 at 4:24 am
i don’t have a single best but a series of personal triumphs. an example is something that JUST happened that is really just lighting me up! i am doing a “the artist’s way” workshop and was with my “morning pages” and my pen’s ink ran out and i kept going. the lack of ink was so delightful and satisfying, my writing soared and i was in the flow. it was a perfect example of the act of doing w/o ego. no record of my pearls of wisdom, no imprint of my time. at the end i felt the page and THAT ACT of touching the words pressed into the page, i felt a breakthrough, a moment of peace and satisfaction. i wondered if i could remember what i wrote by feeling it. this is a “best” work of mine.
September 2nd, 2008 at 4:28 am
Generation HOPE mentoring program is the best work I’ve EVER done! Encouraging and motivating kids (even though they may not have the social collateral or resources to do so) to strive for excellence.
September 2nd, 2008 at 4:50 am
There is only one answer but it is two stories. After 14 years of independent practice as a midwife (legal in New Zealand). I had a baby i was professionally responsible for die. I had admitted the mother to hospital and left her (and unborn baby) in the care of obstetrician and hospital staff. I had left specific written instructions as to the monitoring of the baby. I was called 8 hours (at 10pm)later to be told the baby had died and the mother was starting in labour.
My professional reponsibility meant i had to put aside my own feelings of shock and devastation and provide care as the mother laboured thru the night when i just wanted to curl up and sob my heart out. It is among the hardest things i have ever done but i did good work. The mother had a normal birth and the father was blown away to be given his new born son to hold. The parents had good memories. They also were introduced to a world of grieving for the death of their precious son.
I encouraged the mother when her labour got challenging because i knew that she would be like every other woman after a straight forward birth. She would carry in her body, soul and spirit the sacred dignity of knowing how to birth her children (she has had other healthy babies).
I had at this time nearly 30 years experience as a midwife and every women i had cared for prior to that hot summer night helped me stay focussed on the mother to offer her my skills, my heart, and my time and hold myself together until after her son was born.
This experience was the beginning of the end of being a midwife (my choice) and starting my work as a hospice nurse and that is another story. A life changing story.
September 2nd, 2008 at 4:50 am
I think the best work I have ever done, so far, is losing 35 pounds and keeping it off for over 5 years. I still have more to go, but that 35 is never coming back.
September 2nd, 2008 at 4:57 am
Coaching is the best, most fulfilling creative work I have ever done.
Before that, my CRASH BLOOM installation was pretty awesome. It was my last art exhibit where I reached beyond a “body of work” and made a big colourful beautiful mess in the gallery space, playing with images and media I loved (yarn, felt, collage, paint, text and photo booth portraits). I even recorded my (legendary in these parts) laugh and had a headset with it running continuously. That exhibit was about letting go of Art (with a capitol A) and getting back into the joy of the creative process.
September 2nd, 2008 at 5:03 am
I created a flag for World Peace in response to 9-11.. The design was based on the Tibetan Prayer Flag, gold in color and maroon print with over 90 languages with the word Peace. I managed to get it into over 150 retail stores before Peace became political.
“Peace is more than the absence of war. True peace begins with people as a way of life, before it is echoed between governments and nations. Through a single word translated in over 90 languages, Matjan’s World Peace Flag reminds us of this wisdom, and the power that we carry in each moment of our lives.”
~Gregg Braden
http://www.amazon.com/Grandmothers-Feng-Shui-Wisdom-Teaching/dp/1578633737/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1220356876&sr=8-1
September 2nd, 2008 at 5:45 am
I think it was my piano solo at my graduation from high school. I still don’t know how i did it. It was an 11 page Rachnaninoff piece that I had memorized. I am not crazy about performing, but I had the piece down pat, and I just stormed through it with reckless abandon! I think back to that moment alot when I think about moments when I rose above any fear and just performed my heart out, physically and mentally.
September 2nd, 2008 at 5:56 am
Writing my first book. Seeing my name of the cover of this beautiful little book confirmed that I was a writer. I self-published. I may never publish another book. But my book has helped many parents deal with their grief at losing an adult child.
‘In Her Room’ is about the last weeks in the life of my husband’s 24 year old niece who died of lymphoma. It is a book about death, life, love, hope.
I also went to university when I was 41, graduating at 46 with a Bachelor’s in Social Work. It was, decidedly, the most difficult thing I’ve ever done and the most joy filled.
Then in 2002 my husband went through a seven hour surgery and was a year recovering. I took care of him. Perhaps this was my greatest accomplishment – my four stars – my opus. I hate physical illness and here I was confronted with it every day, every night – tubes, medication, everything I hated. AND I DID IT – with help and often by myself.
September 2nd, 2008 at 6:21 am
Being honored by the People of Poland, with a Knighthood, for my 20+ years of work through charitable organizations to medically support children severely injured by the reactor failure in Chernobyl, Russia; and my contributions to the collapse of Communism during the Cold War.
September 2nd, 2008 at 6:45 am
I ran my first marathon shortly after a car accident I founded an annual small press literary festival and, as part of the festival, held a benefit for the New Orleans Public Libraries rebuilding campaign. When I presented the staff with the money raised and pledged continued support each year, I felt like I was doing such a meaningful thing.
September 2nd, 2008 at 6:46 am
Ha, oops, I started one thought then changed to another. The marathon was great, but the fundraiser felt about something greater. (Sorry for not proofreading!)
September 2nd, 2008 at 6:46 am
My best work was working with my brother/sisters and my Dad to help my Mom die peacefully at home in her own bed, surrounded by love.
September 2nd, 2008 at 6:52 am
I love the title! CRASH BLOOM. Love it.
September 2nd, 2008 at 6:52 am
I think that my best work has just begun as a teacher. Some days it’s easy and effortless and other days it’s an uphill battle to get up in front of a group of young adults day after day. I teach accounting which isn’t the most exciting subject but will be useful in future carreers. When a student comes in and believes they are stupid at math and can’t pass – I love the challenge of getting them to put some effort in and to see that they are capable, they have more strenght then they knew.
September 2nd, 2008 at 7:02 am
My best work was my thesis presentation for my BA in Architecture. I was a non-traditional student at an ivy league school so I didn’t fit in with my fellow undergrads but for that critique being older really helped. Having worked for over a year on the project I felt more than prepared to answer my professors questions and there were a couple that strongly disagreed with my ideas. Proof that I was correct in my assumptions came from seeing the city take my proposals and turn them into real world projects that had strong positive impacts on the lifestyle of the city.
September 2nd, 2008 at 7:04 am
WOW. What incredible, brave, creative souls lie here! Thank you for your inspirations!
I’m constantly working on my best work. Each day, each moment, it’s bigger and better: me. Sometimes it’s painfully slow (not keeping moderation in mind), sometimes (auditioning terrifically for some network big-wigs) painfully good. Sometimes shocking (birthing and raising a boy), frustrating sometimes (producing a film). Reassuring (taking myself to church), empowering (working out daily), silly (jumping into a pool at 1:00 a.m. fully dressed!). At the end of the day, each one is better than the last.
September 2nd, 2008 at 7:12 am
Such wonderful stories!! I’m with Danielle in that my wedding was A-mazing!
Actually, I’ve been thinking a lot about my wedding in the past couple of days, as I’ve been trying to delve into the details to find my first word, which I’m still struggling with. We were married under a beautiful old twisty tree in Central Park (NYC), by a female Episcopal priest. I made my wedding dress based on a vintage Vogue pattern from the 50s, and knitted a wine chenille shrug to go over top. We recessed to a solo trumpet, and led everyone back to the party in a gorgeous old townhouse on 69th. The buffet was half Thai, half Canadian Thanksgiving, and the wine was from the French Embassy (yum!) My “wedding team” and I had made almost everything, from the flower arrangements to the tablecloths to the favors. People mingled. People danced. I had welcomed the trickster god in advance, so I was able to relax and enjoy it all. It really felt like “us” – and I really felt “married” when it was over.
So, C+D community – does that sound like “Classic Joy”? Unfortunately, while the words are supposed to sing, I keep saying in my head “CLASSIC (but not conservative) JOY!!”
September 2nd, 2008 at 8:13 am
I had to laugh at Danielle’s comment because I too feel our wedding was my ‘work of art.’ My man proposed in MAY and we were married in JULY. 69 days to plan invitations, tuxes, dresses, flowers, special music solos, photographer, PowerPoint photo accompaniment for our first dance, and all that comes with a reception. In that short amount of time, thankfully what was important stayed true – our union – and all else was the cherry on top. And even though it was before I had my style statement (yikes!), I believe it echoed my/our authenticity. Everyone raved!
We women truly shine when we plan a celebration of LOVE!!
September 2nd, 2008 at 8:18 am
So touching and moving! Thank you for sharing.
September 2nd, 2008 at 8:20 am
I’m deep in the journey of my best work so far. I’m finally figuring out how the real me fits into the world around me.
September 2nd, 2008 at 9:05 am
I love this question. I am reminded of something I read recently that says how we all remember all the insults, hurtful and bad things people have said to us, but not the good things. The idea was to start a book of compliments. Remember all the good things people have said to us, write them down in the book, and constantly add new things to it. A great resource to read when you’re feeling down. This question makes me want to start a book listing all the things I’ve done that I’m proud of. This question made me start remembering a lot of small things from days past. A great book to refer to on the days when you feel you can’t do anything right!
September 2nd, 2008 at 9:49 am
When I worked in design, a dear client said “I captured his spirit,” when he walked into his completed home.
September 2nd, 2008 at 10:13 am
I absolutely love teaching at the University!! (my evening fun) It’s a true Flow experience:-)
September 2nd, 2008 at 10:27 am
beautiful! love it! art should be free and liberating and make YOU the artist feel good and wild.
LOVE the title crash bloom!
September 2nd, 2008 at 10:28 am
you wrote that book!? amazing.
September 2nd, 2008 at 10:30 am
i’m not sure what it means that i can’t answer this question
September 2nd, 2008 at 10:39 am
Simple. Maybe not the best work, but certainly the one where I applied the greatest effort and care: rearing my children. The outcome has been great so far!! So thjat I consider my Magnum Opus!!! Everything else is pretty much second chair… lollollol
Cécile
September 2nd, 2008 at 11:13 am
Thank you Kat. It was a tie between the flag and the book I wrote to honor my grandmother.
September 2nd, 2008 at 11:36 am
running out of ink is so…”satiating,” isn’t it? I feel the same way about it, and about finishing a notebook…ahhh. WHen that happens, I try to do a little cellular imprint to feel the success and build on it.
September 2nd, 2008 at 11:39 am
so complex and beautiful. from birth to death and ’round again. thanks for this.
xo
D
September 2nd, 2008 at 11:42 am
maybe you’re Classical Joy…a lil’ twist that might make it “sing” a bit more.
xo
D
September 2nd, 2008 at 11:43 am
delivering my daughter, raising her and watching her develop.
September 2nd, 2008 at 11:44 am
I had to really really think on this question as well. Maybe, on the upside, it’s about being present – every day is your best. Or maybe — there’s more to celebrate than you’re giving yourslef credit for.
September 2nd, 2008 at 11:57 am
I would have to say some of the events I have hosted in the past. The grand opening of my shop in Kelowna buzzed with creativity and enthusiasm and was a great start to sales. Then an Alice in Wonderland themed tea party night…with organic teas by Glory Be Tea, wonderful appies, tons of prizes, and my poor hubbie in as the 6 foot rabbit greeting and entertaining with the Mad Hatter. We raised a lot of money for Cops for Cancer. Then a book launch at the Chateau Whistler for my kids book with free activities for families, some amazing artisans selling wares and a silent auction for World Vision. The energy in the room made my heart smile with pride.
http://www.snickerdoodles.typepad.com
September 2nd, 2008 at 11:59 am
thanks, danielle!
thinking now it’s the way i just DID things for awhile – things i’ve always wanted to do, like travel. it was a couple of years ago and lasted for a couple of years. i took a drum circle facilitation course in hawaii (and travelled there solo). i took a drum experience trip (again, solo) to cuba and drummed with the holguin-equivalent of the buena vista social club. i went to the percussion society national convention in nashville. plus i took lots of weekend workshops on didgeridoo, doumbek, african rhythms, and saw the sun come up at many all-nite music jams.
i didn’t question anything – the cost, the time commitment, anything. i just found things i liked to do and did them. people were constantly telling me that my life inspired them.
i don’t long to do the same activities again, now, but i want to get that in-the-moment power back.
i think i lost it during 2006 when i took care of my baby dog buster who had cancer (she died in early 2007.) i started staying home, taking her to appointments, caring for her, and in the process also spent lots of money on her care. i don’t regret this; but i need to get my mojo back!
thank you for this question.
September 2nd, 2008 at 12:01 pm
I have a “positive feedback” folder in my email system at work. Whenever anyone says something nice about my work, I file it in there for a rainy day. I also forward it to my boss!!
September 2nd, 2008 at 12:10 pm
Elegant, essential, creative, beautiful… I’m still playing with the words, I guess. I’ll let you know when I figure it out. Meanwhile, I want to thank you for encouraging me to see my “quirks” as something to celebrate, rather than something to be groomed and tidied and transformed.
September 2nd, 2008 at 1:02 pm
I have such great admiration for writers, bravo Kristen!
September 2nd, 2008 at 1:02 pm
Kristi, I love the way that you and your family own what you did. That is true midwifery for the soul of the dying one.
We (hospice workers) get far too much praise for what we did when families care for their loved ones at home. I feel we have failed when that happens: we are only basking in the refelcted glory of a loving and committed family who was there for the whole journey.
It is a precious time in the life of a family and connects you all through time and place to the web of life of the human community in its most beautiful aspect: Caring for others and doing the yards that it takes, putting someoens elses need ahead of your own.
I only get paid to do this and no matter how well I do it that is a fact. I hope one day to offer myself to a friend or family member and do what you have done.
Peace and grace be with you.
September 2nd, 2008 at 1:03 pm
I am impressed, I just did my first Bikram class in ten years yesterday. Way to go K!
September 2nd, 2008 at 1:06 pm
a life changing story for you and now for us, thank you Jennifer.
September 2nd, 2008 at 1:08 pm
Chantal, you book looks lovely and so powerful, indeed great work!
September 2nd, 2008 at 1:10 pm
Amazing!
September 2nd, 2008 at 1:15 pm
I use math (and English) daily, a teacher like you would have made the difference back then and today. Thanks for what you do Shelly!
September 2nd, 2008 at 1:19 pm
Lovely idea.
September 2nd, 2008 at 1:21 pm
Let that trickster god sing and dance in the joy. Classic is sleek elegant and fully present and really whatever you want it to be. I guess the risk is thinking of classic as somehow yesterday and not now. It will last you through life. Fashion that is just now now now will be so yesterday in a decades time. Classic goes the distance. I like joy it is a fruitful word. I did not look at my style statement bible so i hope these off the cuff remarks are helpful. your wedding sounds amazing wish I had been there!!!!!!
September 2nd, 2008 at 1:47 pm
Joy is big. I insisted on having the word “Joy” in my wedding invitations – they read “We invite you to share in our joy and celebrate our wedding.” Joy to me is red socks and bubbles in hand-blown glass. Classic is just the right foundation some days, and feels fusty to me some days. Classic could be old LL Bean canvas totes on a weathered dock, or it could be red lipstick and a pencil skirt on Parisian cobblestones. Classic is the way a white shirt and a string of pearls can be outrageously sexy. Is it a firm foundation that can turn into a stick-in-the-mud? Well, maybe that’s me, too. I guess I’m talking myself into classic! Thanks for your comments – got me going on a nice riff!
September 2nd, 2008 at 3:16 pm
My best work was teaching catechism to school age children. Along with a formidable group of volunteers, we reformed the way it was taught and had the children actively participate. For instance, one assignment was to do “acts of kindness” without anyone knowing they did it. Their ideas were mind blowing. In another lesson, they had to stand very still with their hand over their heart and feel the “Universal Spirit” living in them. Although my role was one of a teacher, I was more than not the student who was taught!!!
September 2nd, 2008 at 3:24 pm
Further to your comments. Every Style statement has a “shadow” side. The shadow can be a useful diagnostic: its The opposite of (what waS i THINKING WHEN i BROUGHT THAT?!!!!!) or just the darker side of that particular word (ie classic as dull and fusty). My style statement is Bold Grace and let me tell you it is a short leap to the brazen/rude/OTT/inconsiderate and I blush to relfect on those moments when I found myself there. Grace was a pure gift from God via Carrie. It’s my heart and yet I hid and struggled with it all my life until the day Carrie spoke it. I saw pearls (well I am a girl and they are the only jewellery formed from living pain) and truth.
I wonder if there is a national brides day in North America. I would live to see all the bridal photos of the women on this web site. If that happened I would get broad band. Vintage vogue with a chenille shrug sounds so delicious
September 2nd, 2008 at 4:47 pm
Thank you so much Carrie.
September 2nd, 2008 at 5:51 pm
The best work I’ve ever done is submit my photography to “The Studio Museum in Harlem” two of my photos were chosen and during the opening my photography/art was placed right next to that of the late great Gordon Parks.
I also made the leap to own and operate a business and the rewards have been nothing short of a miracle…the opportunity to create meaningful work in our everyday lives is there if we just remain present.
September 2nd, 2008 at 5:57 pm
I’m with Danielle, who put it so beautifully. I think my best work is yet to come.
September 2nd, 2008 at 6:42 pm
Jennifer – thank you for your lovely message. And thank you for the incredible work you do – we were lucky to have a large support team of professionals and family – you are the leader and integral support for that team when staying at home just isn’t an option or there are few family and friends.
It was the saddest day of my life, and I felt so blessed to be able to give back even a fraction of the care my lovely Mom gave me throughout my life.
K.
K.
September 2nd, 2008 at 6:43 pm
P.S. I posted below, but forgot to say “what a lovely question!”
September 2nd, 2008 at 7:19 pm
Raising my three children who’ve become wonderful, productive, responsible adults.
September 2nd, 2008 at 7:48 pm
What a beautiful gift to celebrate a friend’s life. She is blessed, as are you.
September 2nd, 2008 at 7:51 pm
As a calligrapher I came to understand each stroke of the pen is as each breath we take….essential and meaningful….ink or no ink.
September 2nd, 2008 at 8:00 pm
Thank you for sharing that!
September 2nd, 2008 at 8:02 pm
i’m intrigued… what is cellular imprint? do tell! regardless of its actual meaning, i love the image of it. thanks (for everything).
September 2nd, 2008 at 8:13 pm
I anticipate that giving birth will be my magnum opus. When we have a child, I desperately want to have a baby through a natural birth with as little medical intervention as possible. I have accomplished a lot in my life so far and will continue to achieve, but it seems to me that childbirth will be a transformative experience that will unlock a side of myself of which I am completely unaware right now.
September 2nd, 2008 at 11:55 pm
As an antique restorer, my finest work, given the two antiques brought to me, were two one hundred year old oak display cabinets. One had curved glass, the other, a side curve and drop down desk. The pieces had been in a house fire located on a farm several miles away. They were frozen with spray from fire hoses, with burn spots and broken glass. It was during Christmas holidays, my family coming, and I had to at least try to salvage the wood. Working through two days, I was able to get the original finish off, dry them without warping, and get them ready to refinish. In many cases the pieces would be of less value, but since they were fire wood when brought to me, they had to be restored and returned to the family who lost almost everything that night in their house fire.
September 3rd, 2008 at 10:34 am
The best work I have ever done is yet to be! At first I began to feel a extremely disappointed in that thought but I’m 25, just starting out, just getting comfortable in my own skin. I love that my future holds unlimited possibilities.
September 3rd, 2008 at 10:57 am
Photographing friends and preserving our memories.
September 3rd, 2008 at 11:08 am
I put up some pics on my blog for you. Click my name.
September 3rd, 2008 at 2:28 pm
I hope my greatest accomplishment is yet to come. I’m reinventing myself as I type and getting in touch with my passions to figure out what my contribution to this world is supposed to be.
Up till now, my greatest triumphs have come from arranging something for others that worked out. Finding as many of my classmates as I could for a high school reunion and not “weeding people out” based on who they ran with in school. Throwing a fabulous engagement barbecue for my sister even though the engagement disolved. And designing and leading a couple of walking tours through downtown Toronto that people really enjoyed.
September 3rd, 2008 at 2:39 pm
Thanks Suzyn Got the photos. How lovely especially the photo of the kiss. I am 61 and live in Wellington, New Zealand and it still blows my mind that I can click on someones name and tumble into the life of a total stranger. Loved your writing on babies and breast feeding. Mothering is all about believing in your own wisdom.
September 7th, 2008 at 1:10 pm
Overcoming depression and becoming who I am – still a work in progress, but progressing nicely.