Twenty-five years ago we felt compelled to write a book together. Unfortunately, we didn’t have any idea what it was about or why we should even try. But, that certainly didn’t stop us—in fact, the absurd challenge of it all just made us more determined. The idea was simply to “Retreat”—quietly to clear the air . . . start over. So, we filled a bag full of old journals and went away to a quiet place where we could start reading them aloud to each other. Day after day we read, talked, laughed, cried and wrote some music. Before long we began to write stories. The two became one and we’re still writing to this day. The so-called “Book” (of “Musical Stories”) was born!

Never Sleep (The first song we ever wrote together, prompted by the bag of journals)

As each month and year passed we found the idea behind the “Book” was continually changing. Now, 25 years later, we find ourselves looking back at how the ideas actually took shape. In a way, everything we did was backwards. As the ideas shifted, we would just develop a new working title and format along with imagery that would hopefully inspire us further—nudge us along. Always a work in progress, we were literally and naïvely making it up as we went. However, the spontaneity and surprises that popped-up as a result, were largely why it was so much fun, and the “Book” started taking some unexpected twists and turns.

Something Out Of Nothing (a little story about surprises)

The first real title for a more tangible version of the “Book” was called “Trencadis,” which is a Catalan word for a particular mosaic style created from broken pieces of discarded china and ceramics. The technique was invented by the famous architect Antoní Gaudí in Barcelona. We had visited and studied his projects and were inspired by his ceramic art. For us, it reflected our own situation—two people who had been happily married for 25 years, yet, like most of us, we still had many broken pieces and parts (definitely requiring therapy), that kept us from being our best—important topics that needed to be processed in order to make our union work better for the long haul. The internal work was an essential part of our process that had to come first, out of necessity.

Barcelona (inspired by the work of Gaudí in the early days of our journey)

We imagined ourselves picking up the various broken pieces and turning them into a beautiful personalized “mosaic” of sorts, integrating the two of us as we moved into a better form of “partnership.” We began to play with the idea of “integration” by combining ripped sections of our own masked images (that’s another story), into a “patchwork portrait” of the newly invented duo—a personified Trencadis mosaic of our own. It was a playful yet critical process that provided us with a lot of inspiration in the early days of our searching. Doing any form of work to combine two very different personalities is no small feat—as we all know.

Two Pilgrims (two people go back in time to rediscover their common ground)

Within a year, we found ourselves broadening the perspective. Rather than focusing solely on the integrated partnership, we started looking outside of ourselves. For the first time, we were questioning what we would actually DO in the world—how we could serve a higher purpose and make a broader contribution. Hmmm . . . That’s deep. We had already moved far beyond that leather bag of journals and wondered whether we had possibly reached the end of the journey. We were ready to step out of our introspection, to become visible in a new form as if being sculpted—released from the block of stone.

Out Of The Block (sculpting new faces and forms—channeling the energy of Michelangelo).

Continuing to use Gaudí’s architecture as metaphor, we shifted our attention from the mosaics to include the intriguing windows of his Colonia Güell Chapel in Barcelona. We had been there several times in the early morning hours of dawn and were inspired by the striking colors cast from the bright glass panes. With integration still in progress, we began writing more about the external expression that was now possible. We started calling the new expanded version of the “Book” Window At Dawn, to reflect more of an outward orientation—an opening into the world. That mysterious imagery became our new inspiration as we continued to write. Our “Book” was morphing into some sort of gift.

Offerings (creating a window or portal for “offerings” out into the world)

Some months later, the story shifted once again from the Window At Dawn into imagining—what if our partnership was literally a building? What would it look like? Rather than seeing ourselves looking out through a window onto a new dawning, we were figuratively forming a complete three-dimensional image to live out of—a “Home” of sorts for the new and extended partnership. We let our imaginations play with what that might look like, rendering a fanciful place of dreams. Those days represented a whimsical freedom of expression, longing to forge a real “place in the world” that was truly our own. In addition to being tailored specifically for us, we envisioned that it would also be a freely shared space without expectations—an unconditional space to gather, together.

My Treasured Heart (permanence. Build the walls higher and higher!)

Several years later, we arrived at what we felt might be a final view of the “Book” (right!). We called it “Time To Partner.” That name captured all of the ideas up to that point: 1) partnering within ourselves (individual therapy), 2) partnering with each other (“Trencadis”), and 3) partnering in the world (“Window At Dawn”). We wanted the book to speak of the seamless merging of those three perspectives, moving from deep within ourselves to externally as far as we could reach. However, it appeared as if that ink and paper, tangible “Book” was just a stop along the way and wasn’t even close to being final. We were starting to realize that any “Book” would be incomplete without collaborators and invitations for all

By Invitation (we must release control and throw the doors open wide)

Years later we realized that the “book” we had been writing and physically making was admitedly without an ending.  What? That was a sobering and somewhat confusing notion for us to wrap our heads around. We recall talking about Jack Kerouac’s famous book called “On The Road,” which was more like a scroll than a book—no pages. Rather, it was an endless roll of paper that just went on and on. Slowly, we were beginning to accept the idea that a “Book” didn’t literally need to be defined by two covers (physical or digital). What about unlimited? No constraints? Maybe “Time to Partner” actually meant “all the TIME in the world”? Now, this was really beginning to get interesting! We remember that moment like it was yesterday—we just hopped into the convertible and headed out on the open road with the wind in our hair!

Rhythm Of The Road (break free from all constraints—let’s just go . . . NOW)

That moment “on the road” became our new inspiration. We immediately began transferring everything into a digital format with the ability to just keep adding paragraphs, music, video, art and more. It would be like a unspooling of life—pull the “relationship string” and it just keeps on spinning. Of course, we immediately changed the name, calling it “Uncommon Promise,” and that’s where you’re reading this piece of the story today. The format retained all of the original focus on “Partnership,” but also had the global reach we always dreamed about. Everything in one place and without end. Incredible. For us, the “book/site” has become that ongoing evolving reality—done but never done. In effect, the UP site is a digital rendition of that fantasy home we sketched so many years before.

Uncommon Promise (Relationship changed through dreams, intuition, trust and courage)

The door to our home remains open. All are invited to come in and sit for a spell where everything is free and conversation is plentiful. Step inside and join us. No matter what stories are being told, you can count on one common thread that runs throughout: PARTNERSHIP, RELATIONSHIP and unlimited TIME. We make an uncommon promise to never lose sight of the all-important relationships that remain at the heart of this wonderfully weird shared endeavor.

After all, that’s what it’s about.