Do you ever consider how many different lifes you could have over the trajectory of your lifetime? If you had said Yes to that one thing, or No to that other thing; if you moved to that place or had stayed in that place; if you hadn't run out the door later than normal and happened to run into that one person... life could take on so many forms. And the reality is, even when you are settled into the life you most presently lead, it could still take shape into something completely different.
I just finished Michelle Obama's book (and yes, if I could meet one person in the world it would have to be her!) A quote of hers that showed up in my underlines and has stood out to me over and over again resonates with the mysterious unfolding of life:
"For me, becoming isn't about arriving somewhere or achieving a certain aim. I see it instead as forward motion, a means of evolving, a way to reach continuously toward a better self. The journey doesn't end" (Obama, 419).
That's the key: the journey doesn't end. If anyone's life reflects that truth, it's hers. As an African American girl growing up on the Southside of Chicago in the 80's, she never would've predicted that her name would someday be known worldwide. I think about this for my life and the story I'm writing with it. I think about how I get stuck in an identity: Teacher, Wife, Mother... and I wonder sometimes what more there could be?! I get stuck on a path because I forget I can veer. I forget about the underlying skills and gifts that surface in those roles - the ones that could perhaps be stretched to other iterations of my identity.
I have a dream that is in the beginning stages of being birthed. It is all a series of thoughts and daydreams right now - ones that I talk myself in and out of because that's what I always do. My inner mantra of I can't do that; I'm not good enough; I don't have what it takes takes over and convinces me out of it. I want to take all of who I am and sum it up into something that reflects me at my core. My favorite themes prevailing: journey, exploration, discovery, growth, extraordinary in the ordinary... I want these to lead what I do next. We'll see if I ever have the courage to step out and make it happen.
I just finished Michelle Obama's book (and yes, if I could meet one person in the world it would have to be her!) A quote of hers that showed up in my underlines and has stood out to me over and over again resonates with the mysterious unfolding of life:
"For me, becoming isn't about arriving somewhere or achieving a certain aim. I see it instead as forward motion, a means of evolving, a way to reach continuously toward a better self. The journey doesn't end" (Obama, 419).
That's the key: the journey doesn't end. If anyone's life reflects that truth, it's hers. As an African American girl growing up on the Southside of Chicago in the 80's, she never would've predicted that her name would someday be known worldwide. I think about this for my life and the story I'm writing with it. I think about how I get stuck in an identity: Teacher, Wife, Mother... and I wonder sometimes what more there could be?! I get stuck on a path because I forget I can veer. I forget about the underlying skills and gifts that surface in those roles - the ones that could perhaps be stretched to other iterations of my identity.
I have a dream that is in the beginning stages of being birthed. It is all a series of thoughts and daydreams right now - ones that I talk myself in and out of because that's what I always do. My inner mantra of I can't do that; I'm not good enough; I don't have what it takes takes over and convinces me out of it. I want to take all of who I am and sum it up into something that reflects me at my core. My favorite themes prevailing: journey, exploration, discovery, growth, extraordinary in the ordinary... I want these to lead what I do next. We'll see if I ever have the courage to step out and make it happen.
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