“Life is full of surprises and serendipity. Being open to unexpected turns in the road is an important part of success. If you try to plan every step, you may miss those wonderful twists and turns. Just find your next adventure – do it well, enjoy it – and then, not now, think about what comes next.”
Condoleezza Rice
I sit here writing while I am watching a sunset. Leaving a place that I have never been before. A place that I never thought I would have a reason to be. It is a nice place. A beautiful place. With blue skies and sunsets and warm inviting people. A place that I never would have predicted I would be a month ago. But here I am.
I’ve stopped trying to predict where I will be sitting in my future. You can, but then when other options present themselves, when you come to that fork in the road that you didn’t know was up ahead, you might pause too long. And if you pause too long, the fork might shift and disappear. A missed opportunity slipped away.
What holds us back from making that spontaneous decision to change direction? Maybe fear of unknown and unpredicted destinations. Maybe failure, change, or even heartbreak. We can plan our lives out year by year, day by day, hour by hour. All the planning in the world won’t mean anything when that one little moment butts in and makes things a little messy. That one little moment that grabs the deck and plays 52 pick-up with your lovely little plans. Scattering them all over your nice clean floor.
You can do your best to pick up all the cards and put them neatly back into order. Keeping all the edges lined up. All the numbers and suits placed together in a nice orderly fashion that leaves nothing left for chance. No surprises. Back to the plan. Until the next messy little moment. And there will be one. There is always one. Messy or… adventurous, heart pounding, exciting. It all depends on how you look at it. I chose to look at every opportunity as a possibility. As possibility to find new and amazing people, places and things.
Scary? Yup. But isn’t that what this is all about? If you don’t give yourself a good scare once in awhile, how will you know what it feels like to have your heart pound in your chest and your skin tingle with anticipation. Feel your mind soar or your heart swell. Feel your breath leave your lungs only to refill them again with an energy that can move a mountain. These things I can feel.
I am getting to like scary. It’s living. It’s breathing. It’s healing. It’s learning. It is full of forks in the road and beautiful beautiful possibility.
And sometimes… definitely sometimes, it’s worth it.
My Messy Life 