I was walking at the park near my house this afternoon. And when I crossed the bridge, walking the well-known paths I’ve memorized, I saw a picnic table next to the river where no table had ever been before. 

It’s at the perfect place where you can hear the water splashing over the tiny spillway under the bridge—a light, pleasant gurgling and rushing sound that’s quite pleasing to the ears.

From the looks of it, somebody went out and bought treated pine from a home improvement store, built it themselves, and set it up in this spot. 

They didn’t ask permission. They simply thought that this little neck of the woods would benefit from having a place for people to sit… A place to gather and eat next to the water with family and friends in peace and near-quiet.

This was a small, brave, creative act. They didn’t ask permission from the Parks Department to let them do it. They saw a way to make something a little better for other people, and they did it. 

They took a small creative risk. That’s what we were asked to do on a daily basis. 

No one ever gives us permission to be creative. No one will ever give us permission to make things better. 

Because the way things are right now is the status quo. And people don’t want the status quo to change. So we have to create—to make things better—without asking if it’s okay. 

It takes a little bit of courage, the tiniest amount of risk, and the will to act.