From This Place
I was recently having lunch with a friend and received this fortune at the end of my meal:
It’s kind of crazy when a random fortune can better articulate your current situation than you can. That one sentence sums up so much of my life over the years.
I have this mentality that life has to be a certain way before A,B or C can happen.
“I can’t be happy until I lose this much weight.”
“I’ll take a real vacation after I do this ___________ much work.”
“Once I look like this, own this thing, say those words, I’ll find love.”
I put a lot of my happiness and my life-living on hold because I’m too busy living some other life that I think will lead me to some magical utopia. I’ve convinced myself that all this misery and work and monotony is what you do first before the real good stuff happens.
Where do we learn this crap from? When did I decide that working and playing had to be two separate activities? Why can’t I work hard during the week and enjoy my life anyway? And why can’t I accept that the love of my friends and family and the love I’m finding for myself is more than enough?
I know I sound like a broken record around here much of the time, but sometimes I have to drill a concept into my head time and time again before the idea really sticks.
I’m of no use to anyone when I’m overworked and underplayed. I am not helping a single soul if I’m not feeding myself first. If I truly want to save the world, I have to save myself first.
So, today and every other day that I am able and willing, I am going to choose to do one thing that I would normally put on hold for some unspecified perfect opportunity. I’m going to wear that cute shirt that’s still sitting in my closet with the price tag on it. I’m going to tell that friend I never see how much I miss her. And I’m going to learn that having fun right now isn’t the worst thing in the world to do.
What kind of stuff do you put off for the future? Is there something you can do now that would make your life a little sweeter – even if it’s just in that moment?
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