"I have brains in my head, and feet in my shoes. I can steer any direction I choose." ~ Dr. Seuss
I feel that I used to embody these words of the oh-so-wise Dr. Seuss, but as time has dragged on and life's circumstances have changed, the mundane and trivial things have smothered the hope and the wonder. That is not to say that I am holed up somewhere in a depressed state lacking purpose or direction. But I don't dream big, not like I used to. I remember when my goals included being a Lady Vol basketball player and the first woman president. Ok, those dreams were decades ago and somewhat unattainable, but that's not the point. Right, at this moment, I can't even formulate a dream. I mean I have goals and things I'd like to accomplish, but most of them are things I'd like to do next week like the laundry and finishing a small home project. Talk about dreaming big.
The other day, I thought to myself, "I love my life," and then in the next breath thought, "but do I live my life?" You know, to the fullest, like every day could be your last kind of living. I always thought that was so cliche and that life was supposed to be a bunch of mundane existence, sprinkled in with a little celebration and a few dreams here and there. But then I look around me and I see people enjoying their lives, like really enjoying their lives, like everyday. And then it hit me- IT'S MY LIFE! I can decide how to live it. I don't have to fit some mold or just live in the day-to-day trivialness because that's what I thought life looked like. Life can look like whatever I want it to because IT'S MY LIFE. I don't mean to sound selfish or that I will automatically disregard my responsibilities or that sometimes life isn't made up of mundane tasks or hard and unpleasant things.
For me, it's about a mindset shift. It's about choosing joy and hope and dreams, even in the midst of the trivial and the painful. It's about dreaming again, even if it's unattainable. It's about looking for the silver lining and focusing on the positive. It's about celebrating. It's about living instead of just getting by. Ultimately, it's about realizing that I have the choice because IT'S MY LIFE!
