A Retrospective Perspective

My friend Jordan and I love to go to Barnes and Noble and grab a few books sit, relax, get away from the world and read. Share what we read and just talk. It is so much fun!! I love going with her! Last week when we went I found a book called, "Live What You Love: notes from an unusual life". I very much want an unusual life. I always talk about how much I want to go and tour around Europe and have all these crazy stories to tell and almost die 5 times in the Alps, or on a train ride from Vienna to Rome. Many people find this odd, especially the fact that I want to almost die 5 times, but what can I say? I want an exciting life. I often times try to make my day exciting by doing random and spontaneous things. But it still seems to not be spontaneous enough. I want to go to "Costa Rica on a whim" haha Jordan, you know what I'm talking about! Anyways, that is a lot of rambling, back to the book. The beginning of this book what they call, "A Retrospective Perspective" very much inspired me and I went out this week an actually bought the book. Anyways...it has made me start to think a lot about my life and what exactly I want to do with it! I'm still figuring it all out, but I thought I would share with all of you this "Retrospective Perspective" Have an unusual day!!! :-) 

"We're all very, very busy. We have e-mails to answer, planes to catch, and we're constantly reshuffling schedules to squeeze in new meetings, each more important, more urgent than the last. But every now and then, we get a signal; life should be more satisfying. 

Have you ever found yourself counting up the days to the weekend-and it was only Monday?

You start searching for daily pleasures to reward yourself for just getting through another day; ice cream, shopping, or going out for dinner. Some people even believe that a two week vacation once a year is enough to keep them feeling happy and fulfilled. 

Is it right that we spend so much time planning our next escape? 

When we were small, we blew out the candles on our birthday cake believing that all our hopes and dreams would become real. And when Jiminy Cricket urged us to wish upon a star, we all tried it, at least once. So when exactly did you stop wishing? When did you start doing the things that you had to do instead of the things you wanted to do?

When did your dreams get buried under the responsibilities of adulthood? 

Now you sense that something needs to change, but you're too busy to stop and think about what it is. You long for those forgotten times when each days accomplishments filled you with joy and excitement, when you embraced life with energy and enthusiasm. 

When there were a million special days. 

The first day of school, the night before your fifth birthday, summer vacation, your first kiss...all of these things were momentous achievements that made you feel almost giddy inside.

But now you sometimes feel as if you're stuck in a big rut and, as the years go by, the rut keeps getting deeper and deeper. You sense loss, understanding you were meant to do more. 

your dreams feel so far away and always seem to be just out of reach. 

But there silly dreams, you tell yourself. Get real. After all, you have a job; you're earning a living. You have responsibilities. You can't go off chasing crazy dreams.

Besides, it's scary to think about going out on a limb. 

But the dreams just won't go away and they keep popping up. If only dreams came with a guarantee. Then you'd be as secure as you are now. Your job is secure, right?

Wouldn't it be awful to live your whole life and then say, "Wait! I need another chance. I just wanted to try this one thing." 

Remember how scared you were to take the training wheels off your bike? Or how much courage it took for that first kiss? Nothing stopped you then. 

So what's stopping you now?"

                           -Live What You Love: notes from an unusual life

                                  By the Blanchards