Charles (Chuck) Kensinger

I have a granddaughter who can be very creative in her expressions. She isn’t the only one. All my children and grandchildren have developed expressive ways. Some are musical, artistic, or technically endowed. This young lady was having trouble with a school assignment and said that she would fail the class and end up living in a dumpster behind a convenience store.

Many of us have unfounded self-doubts.  I never had this problem while in school. My difficulty was in overestimating my abilities as far as schoolwork was concerned. Instructors and the way they grade subjectively confuse some students. Other teachers play games with testing, hoping to trick students.

I gave myself two assignments, which were in literature or other writing classes, to learn what they wanted. Math, science, and other more objective subjects were easier. The answers were correct or incorrect. Writing is not that way. Everyone has their opinion of what you say and how you say it.

My two self-imposed assignments for creative assignments like term papers or essays were to determine if the instructor wanted technically perfect work or more creative, idealistic projects. Sometimes I discovered that they wanted both. It took one or two grades to make this decision.

I appreciate your opinion; however, it will not change the way I express myself. Like my columns or not. That is your choice. My decision is to say what I want, not for your approval. Most of my motivation is from what Jehovah tells me. I don’t take polls to determine what to say.

I know some of you are also creative people. You may write, paint, or create other artistic works. Where we find our inspiration and ideas for what we produce is a question that those who want to do the same may have trouble with.

As I did for this column, my thoughts come from real life. I accept this as a way that God uses to inspire me. I do not believe that I am naturally creative. You may not agree with or like what I say. It does come from my head. I hope that you give credit for anything good I say to Him and not me.

There is a file on my computer with dozens of columns that I have started, and I add to from time to time. This piece began over a year ago. Many changes have been made during that time. I do not remember exactly where I wanted to go when I wrote the first words. Some day I may use this same phrase or some of the others she and the other grandkids use for another creation. Who knows if I can remember where those ideas came from?

I hope my future generations learn this from me. The conversation that sparked this column had several phrases that my wife read to me when our daughter explained the situation with her freshman. I hope that when she sees this piece and the fiction story that will come later, she will see how these simple ideas can become something more. Good ideas can be found all around us.

©Copyright 2025 by Charles Kensinger