Ever since graduating college, this [often overused] phrase "do what you love" has rung repeated cycles in my head... I want to be the kind of person who seeks out what I love and passionately pursues it, but I feel so defeated in my attempts to do this. It even sometimes brings a tinge of guilt into moments when I am not loving what I'm doing... and then I wonder why I am wasting my time and energy on that which I don't enjoy. Life is too short, right??? Maybe part of the problem is realizing that it is hard to make a career from what I love: travel, writing, the ocean, people, coffee, wine...
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| These sunsets... Can't get enough of them! |
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| A weekend in Lake Arrowhead with our church is good for the soul |
So, if I can't make a career out of these things, I need to be intentional about pursuing them outside of my 8 hour days spent with 20 high-pitched children in a four-walled classroom. Although the ocean gently laps next to me each morning on my drive to work, I rarely take the time to sit and breathe it in; to ponder at its might and rest in its stillness. Though I have coffee brewing for me in the morning, I use it with medicinal purposes, forcing the caffeine into my bloodstream in order to open my foggy eyes. One of my best friends, Betsy, has a favorite quote that often echoes for me during times like these:
"How you live your day is how you live your life." If I say Yes to every opportunity to make plans with people and am so quick to rush off to the next event, then my days are spent in a hurry - and my life rushes by. I realize that I need to create space to spend time doing the things that actually replenish my soul and bring me life.
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| We live for our Saturday Beach Days |
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| Unreal sunset in Mexico |
I've started running in the mornings again - a daily habit I used to keep in Chicago that seemed impossible with my early school time here. But, anything is possible when you make time for it :) (even when it means a 4:45am wake-up call...) After work, I sometimes walk by the ocean, or grab a coffee and read. I want to see as many sunsets as I possibly can- a task that is doable. I am carving out moments to write more, even when I don't feel inspired. There is never the perfect time to pursue passions... there is always distractions, fear, and other plans to be made. As a teacher, I long for the summer months of freedom and constantly countdown to the three day weekends sprinkled throughout the year. But I don't want to live my life longing for the future. If I want to invite these things into my days, the time to do so is right now.
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