Saturday, May 24, 2014

Opportunities Taken

I ran across this beautiful quote today:

"...Oh my God, what if you wake up some day, and you're 65, or 75, and you never got your memoir or novel written; or you didn't go swimming in warm pools and oceans all those years because your thighs were jiggly and you had a nice big comfortable tummy; or you were just so strung out on perfectionism and people-pleasing that you forgot to have a big juicy creative life, of imagination and radical silliness and staring off into space like when you were a kid? It's going to break your heart." - Anne Lamott

It gave me pause and encouragement. I think back to all of the times in college especially, the supposedly most experimental and nilly willy time of your life, when I passed up opportunities to swim, or dance, or meet someone new, or indulge in a first kiss, all because I was insecure. I needed to be perfect first. As though having a svelte figure before I slip into my swim suit and delightfully witty insights to add to the conversation before I speak up were required.
What a fucking waste. 
But I do not take Anne Lamott's words as a call to live with regret nor urgency, but rather an invitation to release oneself from the pressures of perfectionism and perhaps, say "yes". Given that, it does not mean to live wildly, or mindlessly accept all offers without consideration. Life is a continuous evolution of the body, mind and soul. It is a process,  a wondrous process. Saying "no" to an opportunity is passing on the possibility to evolve concurrently with your life. 

So here's to living, evolving, and biting into opportunities with your big smiling teeth.


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