“When is it going to be my turn? When do I get to do what I want?” says my friend often.
Sometimes I want to shake her and say, “Who is stopping you?”
Until I catch myself doing the same thing, following my distractions instead of my dreams.
Our daughter’s October wedding was good reason to set aside my goals and focus on making the day all she hoped for. It was fun and special and what I wanted to do, to give most of my time and attention to her bridal plans.
However, being mother of the bride didn’t demand I ignore my blog for weeks on end, or stop pitching story ideas, or postpone the book proposal I intended to submit.
Still, I debated.
“Good grief. Who wouldn’t do the same when planning their only daughter’s only wedding?”
The DJ barely finished playing the closing song at her reception before it was Thanksgiving and Christmas. My to-do list included baking, buying and begging for a little time for me, but holidays are a priority, you know.
And just days before ringing in the new year, my husband solicited my help for project that took weeks to complete.
Before I knew it, I was asking, “When is it going to be my turn? When do I get to do what I want?”
Even though I cherished each occasion, I wish instead of allowing them to be distractions, I had made time for my writing alongside the wedding, holidays, and my husband’s work.
I wish while juggling all those irons in the fire, I had kept the one in my heart aglow.
Is there something in your life you keep pushing to one side?
WRite wHere I’m supposed to be –I believe it’s not only our goal (like Mary Lou said in her quote), but also our purpose and responsibility to accomplish the “fire in our hearts.”
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Amen to that. What a wonderful story. I think it should touch each of us. There are always things that can get in the way if you LET them.
But it is soooo important to accomplish that fire in our hearts.
Thank you!!
Wendy, so true. I seem especially \”gifted\” at finding the next distraction. But since I want to live with no regrets, I\’m recognizing how important it is to attend to that flame. Your comment means a lot to me!
Kim it\’s great. Like a pendolum we move from \”no, I\’m soooooooooo busy\” to \”When is it going to be my turn?\”. And like a pendolum we should start to shorten up the cycle so we can reach the balanced point to do what we need to do and be caring to the people we love. But life is dynamic and the perfect balance is just the point where the clock is still. So keep moving on and trade off in between. Thanks for the story, I really appreciated.
So true, Fabrizio. And the pendulum analogy is on target, for sure. I have a friend who says, \”I recognize balance when I swing by it.\” Makes me laugh every time. I find the more I write, the more balanced I am. That said, no matter what else is going on, I\’m committing in 2012 to show up more often on the page. Words can\’t express my gratitude for you as a reader!