“And one day, as she was buried deep in her thoughts,
she heard a still small voice ask her
“If you could go back in life,
what would you have done differently?”
And without missing a beat
she answered, “I would have chosen me”
And finally, she made the choice..”
― Henna Sohail
This is a picture of the chain bridge in Budapest, Hungary looking through the porthole of our Viking cruise ship on the Danube!
How often do you choose yourself…and what you love… and what you want…and where you’d like to go…. and who you’d like to see… and how you’d like to spend your free time?
On the other hand how often do you… go along with… do the same thing…and spend your free time, your vacations, even your holidays the same way and maybe with the same people because that’s what you’ve always done….and yet you crave something entirely differently?
Here is my question for you then….
As you look at all the preplanned events of the year as you look at all of the events that are coming up this week, next week, next month, what are you looking forward to and what are you dreading?
Yes there are things that we must do because as kind warm-hearted human beings it’s the right thing or the good thing to do; certainly however, I believe that a large part of our life is free to be chosen by us.
When the seasons of our lives change and grow, what we used to love, may no longer work for us. As an example, for many years I enjoyed “the family cabin.” The memories were incredible and the times we had were amazing. I loved having cabin neighbours and I loved the yearly tradition of cooking one great dinner for all of them. But once the cabin was sold, in many ways, there was also a sense of freedom that came with no longer having to do the same thing all the time.
When you have a European heart and a wonder lust soul, doing the same thing over and over again is stifling.
My true heart craves freedom, variety, wonder, history, mental stimulation, and independence to do what I want, when I want and how I want! (most of the time…I still do compromise!).
Sometimes we spend a whole lot of time sacrificing ourselves “to go along with” so we keep the peace and not upset the apple cart, the status quo, or the way things have always been done.
To be really happy though, why not change that? Oh, sure you will piss a few people off, but more than likely the people who love you, the ones you do life with, the ones you are committed to will support your changes and be happy for you. They know what you’ve done for them!
I love what John Eldredge, author of Captivating: Unveiling the Mystery of a Woman’s Soul says about women:
“We think you’ll find that every woman in her heart of hearts longs for three things: to be romanced, to play an irreplaceable role in a great adventure, and to unveil beauty. That’s what makes a woman come alive.”
And though not everyone is the “romantic type” in the traditional sense – living your life YOUR WAY certainly is.
In fact, the synonyms for the word ROMANTIC are: adventurous, charming, fascinating, passionate, mysterious, erotic, dreamy, fantastic, enchanting, extravagant, poetic, whimsical and WILD!!!
The antonym for romantic, is BORING!
So, then my dear woman, what makes you come alive? What do you long for, and what role in the great adventure of YOUR life must you start to play? And at last, what beauty within you will be discovered when you finally choose you?
My cousin moved to London, England in her 40’s to start a new life on her own, my other friend went back to university in her 50’s, and another woman I know left the burbs behind to live the downtown life with her husband! It’s time to get out of that rut and shake things up.
Permission granted to choose you!
Written by : Tara McIntosh
