Rocking Chairs and Regrets
Fast forward many years (or maybe just a few)…you’re sitting in your rocker on the front porch or around the table at the retirement home and it’s your turn to tell a life story. “When I was younger, I had this dream to …..but, then I got scared and didn’t do it.” Kinda anticlimactic don’t ya think? We’ve all got aspirations, dreams and ideas, and they are worth exploring - not just to have a good story to tell when we’re older, but for the thrill of the adventure and the life lessons we’ll gain now.
We don’t always get to know why the seeds that are planted in us are there, but they are in there for a reason and are worth exploring. Don’t leave your bucket list items in the bucket! Maybe you’ve always wanted to travel somewhere, maybe there’s something you’ve wanted to learn about, a career you wanted to try, perhaps an adventure expedition that you feel drawn to challenge yourself with. These feelings aren’t fleeting thoughts that change from day to day, they are the ones that you keep coming back to. They will keep popping up until you give them the attention they deserve. Most of the time they won’t pass our logical decision-making tests. They usually involve taking some risks and some plunges into the unknown - scary stuff often, so we rarely allow ourselves to even entertain the idea of exploring, let alone reaching this dream. You can talk yourself out of it with rational thoughts, but deep down if you keep coming back to it, maybe consider starting to talk yourself into doing it.
It probably won’t make financial sense, it might not seem like the right time, others may tell you you’re crazy - and maybe you are….but what if you aren’t? Remember, they likely don’t have that same seed planted, so are unable to relate to this pull that you feel. Maybe along the way you’ll uncover a purpose or a passion that you didn’t know you were looking for. Maybe you’ll find a strength you didn’t know you had or develop a skill that will serve you well down the road. Perhaps by exploring it, you’ll meet someone who will change your life completely. The maybes are endless and they will always be on the table (and circling in your mind), unless you go. There’s no replacement for the journey you feel drawn to. No book you read will be the substitute and no podcast or movie will reveal what you’ll gain along your way.
Don’t confuse this pull with a guarantee of smooth sailing. Just because we have a dream doesn’t mean the path to it will be easy breezy. Research and preparation are helpful and necessary so that you’ve got the right tools for the task and give yourself the best chance to succeed. But know that it’ll likely turn out a bit different than you envisioned. Unexpected hurdles will probably come up and so too will unlikely surprises. But you’ll finally know! You’ll have scratched that itch and explored what you felt drawn to do and in the end you’ll be satisfied and know that you answered your call. Even if the take home lesson is just, “ya, that isn’t for me after all”, it will never have been a waste of time. We rarely regret the things we do and the adventures we go on. It’s those things we leave on the list and in the bucket that we regret not doing.
So pay attention to your dreams and what you’re drawn to, big or small. Remember they are there for a reason and they are there just for you. If you aren’t sure you can do it, think about the rocking chair story. Ask yourself, “is it easier to explore my dreams, or easier to look back on my life and tell the story of how I didn’t bother following them?” As a bonus, adventures - or misadventures, always make for good stories. So don’t spend your time talking yourself out of what you feel drawn to. Figure out a way to make it happen - if only to ensure you’ll have a captive audience in the nursing home one day :)