One Drop at a Time

Soda Straw

Yesterday Kevin and I went to Kartchner Caverns near Benson, Arizona, an impressive cave that was discovered by Gary Tenen and Randy Tufts in 1974 when they were out exploring limestone hills at the base of the Whetstone Mountains. They kept their discovery secret for four years as they continued to document what they had found. In 1978 they told the landowners, the Kartchners, and then began a ten-year journey to get the caverns declared a state park.

The cave consists of many unusual formations-- fragile white helicites that defy gravity and grow in all directions, translucent orange banded bacon and massive shields of white calcite, but two formations stood out in my mind.

The first is a 21 foot, 3 inch soda straw that was replicated in the Visitor Center, as the original was in a restricted area of the cave. Soda straws are hollow stalactites created by the dripping of water. One drop at a time. The straws are fragile and usually break from their own weight after they reach a length of three feet, so the 21 foot formation is an incredible discovery.

The second formation was a formation entitled Kubla Kahn, a massive five story column found in the Throne Room measuring fifty-eight feet tall, making it the largest column in Arizona.

Kubla Kahn

I left the tour impressed by the idea that this beautiful underground cave was created by the percolating of water dripping from the surface one drop at a time, forming these impressive calcium carbonate features that are enjoyed by thousands every year.

One drop at a time.

Drip.

Drip.

Drip.

This summer I have a looser schedule and had planned to start some research and background work for a large writing project. I figured with the extra free time I would get a lot of writing done.

I haven't written one word.

Oh, I've written other stuff and worked on other articles, but this large project has remained in the back of my mind with nothing on paper. The immensity of the project has paralyzed me.

Anne Lamott in her book, Bird by Bird, encourages writers to tackle large projects by seeing them as a series of short assignments. Rather than tackling the entire novel, she advices authors to write down as much as they see in a one-inch picture frame. Forget going after the panoramic view. Describe the wildflowers. The spider on the rock. The main character's breathing as she hikes up the mountain.

One-inch picture frames.

Drop by drop.

It's good advice for writing. And for living.

Do you have a project or a conversation or a decision that you have been avoiding?  How can you break it down into smaller pieces?