Greener pastures

From past experiences and "living and learning" moments I feel like it is safe to say that you should never push for or demand the greener pasture in life. Let me explain.

Wishing and hoping for something that you don't have just because you don't have it will never really make you feel all that great and fulfilled once you FINALLY get what you THOUGHT you wanted. Does that make any sense? Don't be greedy in the sense that you feel you need to have or be a part of everything that may not involve you. Letting life, nature, the right sequence of events occur will bring the right moments and people to you. We don't understand why certain things happen when they happen or why we met certain people at what seems like the least opportune time but in the end, everything works out. The good, the bad, and the ugly all have reasons for colliding into your life.

Now to give myself any ounce of credibility, here's a little reflection. At one point in my so far young and vibrant life I decided to move from one Midwest, flat, uneventful city to a more bustling, skyscraper lined, adventurous city because I thought that's where I wanted my "new" life after college to be and where I thought I would find true love. Going against the grain and sawing off a part of my life that I just wanted to bypass ended up with me moving when it probably was not the best time to move, hurt people I never meant to hurt, and leave people that I didn't want to leave. All for a job that ended up not panning out because it did not fulfill me like I thought it would in that eventful city. I realized after having to involve (or perhaps inconveniencing) so many other people to move a few times that maybe I should not have pushed for something that I thought would be perfect. Forcing nature or trying to climb over a hill to that greener pasture seems easy at first but then you come rolling down into the mud and rocks. Not very fun, believe me!



Learning something from that lesson that I taught myself has opened up my eyes to listen more and also go with the flow. Now, I am not saying to rollover and let life go on autopilot. Life is about a little turbulence and bumps so we have these moments of reflection. However, being aware that there really isn't a greener pasture with no holes, mud, or rocks. I feel now that I am more aware of this fact, I can accept more challenges and still be persistent when I want something with a more realistic point of view on the outcome.

My friend Crystal told me something that she read which really left an impression on me, " You don't own life. Life is not yours to keep." Live life and don't try to control it or plan out every single detail. You'll drive yourself mad and miss out on so many things.



After Katie B. gave me the book "Yes Man" by Danny Wallace last October for my birthday I took the fun read and ideas and put them into play as much as possible into the life I live. Going along with what life gives me and not wasting time wishing I had something different has brought me to much greener pastures than I could have ever expected. So far this year, the year before my Golden Birthday, I have seen, traveled, and experimented some pretty fantastic things that have made me, ME! I truly look forward to the road ahead of me!

Here is a passage from a book called "Viver com Pureza" (Living with Purity) by Seicho Taniguchi:

"Repare nas coisas que possui, e nao no que ilhe falta."
"Look at the things you have, not at what you do not have."
Se voce tem o habito de se queixar de tudo, trate de se corrigir. Em vez de pensar no que ilhe falta, repare nas coisas que desfruta fartamente e agradeca: "Gracas a Deas, tenho isto", "Que bom ter isto e aquilo!". Manifeste em palavras essa alegria e vera como ocorrerao fatos gratificantes e felizes."

Beijos...