Do, Do, Do.

*image from http://unexpectedblessing.files.wordpress.com/

First attempt at Theoretical Thursday--

So, I finished this sweet little book at lunch yesterday--"The Greatest Thing in the World" by Henry Drummond--that's basically an essay discussing the famous Bible passage, 1 Corinthians 13, which means it's all about LOVE--why it's the greatest, why we should make it our life's focus, and how we might put it into practice every day. Well, Drummond's final, parting message, on which he chose to exit, is that love is about doing what the passage from Corinthians says. For, just simply reading the passage without acting on it, implies that Jesus "suggested nothing in all our thoughts, that He inspired nothing in all our lives, that we were not once near enough to Him to be seized with the spell of His compassion for the world." Which reminded me of something Buddha said, "However many holy words you read, however many you speak, what good will they do you if you do not act on them?"

With that train of thought in my head, I hopped online to read one of my favorite blogs yes and yes. The topic just happened to be "The Art of Doing." (Are you seeing the trend yet?). Ms. Von talked about how to get yourself from just thinking about doing something to actually doing it, and came up with a fabulously helpful list of ways to begin (such as "Write it down, then start mapping your path" and "Tell everyone you know about it.").

Which made me remember my grad school friend's urging me to submit work to her online literary website Linchpin.

Which made me think...and want to read some more blogs so as to dilute my thinking....

Which is how I wound up at the blog of Bianca Noir (who, by the way, came up with, what should be, everyone's new favorite word: "maphaps"). Having just recently visited Maine, she talked about how the people there "do life;" they don't have life "done to them."

It wasn't until this morning though, whilst recollecting yesterday's readings, that I realized I was being spoken to. I mean how many times does a girl have to see the word "do" to catch a hint? So I suppose I should tell the universe that I get it now. Day late, dollar short, whatever, I hear the message loud and clear--Do, do, do (scarily close to doo-doo, but not the same, I assure you).

Which strikes me as an interesting message, considering it comes right after the conversation A and I had recently about our future--when we wanna have kids, what type of residency he's leaning towards, and where we might potentially move in a few years.

Let's just say it was an uncomfortable conversation (for me more than him), for it forced me to consider my life at the moment--that I like our home, that my family is close, how I like working with family members, how I like living in the city because so many various activities and sights are within reach--all of which reenforced the fact that life's good right now.Yet here we were talking about how all those things could be different in a few years--we won't be in this house forever; we probably won't live 20 minutes from my parents; I won't be working at the same company where my dad and brother work; and we might not be a hop, skip, and a jump from a sizeable city.

My worries about the future are simple; they revolve around one thing--change. I think of myself as a flexible and adaptive person, for I've been places and done things that challenged my sense of self from which I've emerged stronger and better. However, I'm old enough now to know what makes me happy--family, friends, activity, and familiarity. And while I know I'll be fine no matter where we wind up, I'm just having trouble readying myself for the changes ahead, fully wrapping my mind around it all, probably because I have this vision of me feeling claustrophobic or trapped,  lonely because I'm limited in what work or activities are available.

But obviously I know my vision is bollocks. As much as I know I'm psyching myself out. All yesterday, the universe was telling me to "do." And like Bianca Noir said, "I can't get stuck in any one place and become stagnant. It's important to surround yourself with people who are motivated, and who set goals, and at the same time concentrate on the present things." That word--stagnant--one of my favorites because it sounds as awful as what it means. And it certainly makes its point. Who would ever wanna be stagnant? I mean, yuck right? I don't want to be one of those homebodies who's afraid to experience something different. I don't wanna limit mine or A's life choices simply because I've been there, done that, and am too lazy to do it again. I wanna do, do, do. Live to the fullest of my ability. Grow. And changes are the best fertilizer.

So Thanks, universe. I needed it told to me straight.

P.S. Who wouldn't wanna jump like that off a cliff? Woot woot! Get em!