Tuesday, February 23, 2016

On the Boat



The older I get the less I'm one for resolutions and the like.  But, I do think there's value in refocusing from time to time, and a squeaky, shiny brand new year seems like a natural fit for that goal.  This is by no means something that originated with me - I heard it last year from someone who read it somewhere years ago.  But I think it's good and, as Solomon says (maybe, I know, I know), there's nothing new under the sun anyways.  Anyhow, to the substance of my point: I want to ask myself, in all decisions I make, big and small - will it get me on the boat?  On the boat is a euphemism for closer to my goal.  The Merry Band of Fife has a very specific, mountain-sized goal in mind (I will share more about that in the future), but the thought process is a good one for more modest goals as well.  I think the Great Deceiver has such an easy time with us, really - we are so very distractible in this modern world, aren't we?  I read somewhere that studies have shown that happiness decreases proportionally with the number of choices that people are offered.  And goodness knows we are bombarded with choices, choices, and more choices.  It's so easy to live in the moment, how could it be otherwise, in the marketing culture we live in, whereby happiness is the great drug and we are always hopping for our next fix of it in the relentlessness of consumerism.  What seems obvious, the purposing of our lives, actually requires constant focus, planning and redirection - for me anyways.  If the answer to the question is "Yes", then it's full steam ahead (you'll have to forgive me with the nautical puns today, I'm feeling shippy - badum, dum, dum).  If the answer is "No", then I ask myself if I need this or if I just want it.  And wanting can be okay, and sometimes I absolutely will do things I just want, but I think it's so important to be more conscious of the ways in which I treat myself (because I'm prone to lingering on the times when I denied myself or comparing myself/my things to someone else).  Accordingly, the first thing I asked myself before deciding whether to restart my blog or not was "Will this get me on the boat?" and the answer is a resounding Yes.  It's important that I open myself up to others more, and writing is an easier way for me to do that right now (I'm working on being more open in person too, but it's going to take a while for this introvert).  Plus, it's just plain old good for the soul, isn't it?

1 comments:

JoyC said...

Thanks for sharing Melissa. Yoy amaze me with taking care of your clan. You have a beautiful family. And You are a very good writer. I enjoyed reading your blog.