French Christmas

Prompt 14: #Trust 30

Yes, I'm still limping my way towards finishing #Trust30 ... :)

Alternative Paths by Jonathan Fields

When good is near you, when you have life in yourself, it is not by any known or accustomed way; you shall not discern the foot-prints of any other; you shall not see the face of man; you shall not hear any name; the way, the thought, the good, shall be wholly strange and new. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

The world buzzes about goals and visions. Focus. Create a vivid picture of exactly where you want to go. Dream big, then don’t let anything or anyone stop you. The problem, as Daniel Gilbert wrote in Stumbling Upon Happiness, is that we’re horrible at forecasting how we’ll really feel 10 or 20 years from now – once we’ve gotten what we dreamed of. Often, we get there only to say, “That’s not what I thought it would be,” and ask, “What now?” Ambition is good. Blind ambition is not. It blocks out not only distraction, but the many opportunities that might take you off course but that may also lead you in a new direction. Consistent daily action is only a virtue when bundled with a willingness to remain open to the unknown. In this exercise, look at your current quest and ask, “What alternative opportunities, interpretations and paths am I not seeing?” They’re always there, but you’ve got to choose to see them.

(Author: Jonathan Fields)

We seek out the symbols and the metaphors. In high school English class, we dug into the books and the poems, got our hands all messy and dirty and triumphantly pulled them out by the roots for further examination. It seemed so clear to us – what meanings birds and flowers and rainstorms had, how they spelled out doom or triumph for our heroes. And we wished that in real life that the symbols and the metaphors were so obvious and clear to us, that we could find them as easily as we do in stories and poems and epics. That they could be the breadcrumbs, revealing to us which trails to take, which direction we’re supposed to be heading in.

In our real lives, there are symbols, sometimes clear and loud, like a beacon in the fog. Sometimes you wonder if you’re imagining symbols out of nothing, delusional, to try to give your life some bigger meaning. And sometimes the symbols are too obscure or muddy to discern. You know they must be there, somewhere, but you’re groping for them at the bottom of the river while the water rushes over your fingers. That’s where a little faith comes in, faith that they will, in fact, be there, and that you’ll have enough wisdom to recognize them when they show up.

Auguesting

I’ve been walking around in my own head a lot lately, rearranging the furniture, shaking out the rugs, sweeping up the dead flowers. So when Ty Ungelbower over at Too XYZ offered the chance to guest post, I jumped at it. Ty’s blog focuses on themes of introversion and personality types, which is perfect since I’m in the process of restructuring mine. I’m not only honored to be guest posting on his blog today, but thankful for the chance to write (and therefore make sense of) what’s going on up there.

Jet Planes

The Chicago Air & Water Show, which was today, is always a highlight of my summer.

When I was little we lived (for a time) close to an air force base. To this day when I hear the crack of  fighter jets splitting the sky open, I am immediately five years old again, sitting next to my Mom in her convertible, with Tina Turner on the radio and everything in life infinitely simpler.

July … Er … August #Reverb11 Prompt

What new thing will you try this month?

July was one hot oven of day lilies and blistering sun and sadness. I baked in it. I watched as it whizzed by in a blur past the  window on the stove I crawled inside.

In August I will try to be here. In August I will try not to rush through the turbulence in my life, like I did when I was 19 and 21. I will try not to rush through the rogue waves to get to the relief, to get to the still waters, because when I look back at the best times they were when I was 19 and 21.

Prompt 13: #Trust30

Surprise by Ashley Ambirge

I will not hide my tastes or aversions. I will so trust that what is deep is holy, if we follow the truth, it will bring us out safe at last. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Think of a time when you didn’t think you were capable of doing something, but then surprised yourself.  How will you surprise yourself this week?

(Author: Ashley Ambirge)

The thing about a broken heart is that it needs a bodyguard. A bouncer, if you will. Someone to guard the heart’s contents and keep them safe as it bleeds out and slowly mends. To keep out the snaking crowd of negative thoughts and bad dreams that come pounding at the door, waiting to rush the stage.

I have surprised myself in July by being both. By being the broken heart and the guardian tending to it.

Prompt 12: #Trust 30

Fear by Lachlan Cotter

These are the voices which we hear in solitude, but they grow faint and inaudible as we enter into the world. Society everywhere is in conspiracy against the manhood of every one of its members. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Is fear holding you back from living your fullest life and being truly self expressed? Put yourself in the shoes of the you who’s already lived your dream and write out the answers to the following:

Is the insecurity you’re defending worth the dream you’ll never realize? or the love you’ll never venture? or the joy you’ll never feel?

Will the blunder matter in 10 years? Or 10 weeks? Or 10 days? Or 10 minutes?

Can you be happy being anything less than who you really are?

Now Do. The Thing. You Fear.

(Author: Lachlan Cotter)

Ok, so really, it’s not cheating that I’m not answering this question, because I am pretty sure I answered it already on prompt #9.

But I will add that since I answered #9, fear and I have sort of become friends. Well maybe not friends exactly, but acquaintances at least. Sort of like that scary old lady who lives down the street, who you’re pretty sure gives you the evil eye every time you walk by, but who turned out to be one who called the cops when those high school punks tried to bust out your car windows.