Realizations

Sometimes, in the most casual of conversations, you stumble upon little protusions of philosophical truths that have yet to be fully unearthed, but which have been all this time the solid ground upon which you stand.

I recently "tripped" upon one such realization yesterday, over lunch with CC. We were talking about dreams and goals and future personal and professional paths and plans. Thinking aloud, I said that where I see myself in the future matters so much less than what I will be doing. And therein, in my opinion, is the vital difference that will keep us from suffering the frustration of not having arrived at the intended destination after a predetermined period of time, or, worse, actually getting there and finding out it's not quite as fabulous as you expected. Which is inevitably followed by the proverbial "what now" moment that very quickly turns direction into disorientation.

Been there, done that. Lived out and realized my five-year plan, then my ten-year plan, arrived at the summit of my personal Mount Everest and then found myself looking at the only direction left to go. Then again, I've also been at my own Base Camp at the bottom of a different mountain, believing with all my heart that this was the peak I needed to conquer, and then having my hopes dashed before I'd gotten very far from where I started. So I've learned not to peg my aspirations on any one place or situation - to not set my heart entirely on the fulfillment of a definitive dream; otherwise, I'd just be setting myself up for the heartbreaking disappointment of not becoming, say, a contributing editor to National Geographic Traveler or owner of my own restaurant or a missionary in South America. But I do see myself, five, 10, 20 years from now, still doing the things that are an essential part of who I am: writing, editing, traveling, cooking, taking care of God's children, living life. Loving life, the One from whom all life comes, and those who He has given and will give me to love for life; by His grace, doing His will and making His dreams for me come true. And therefore it doesn't matter where I see myself in the future, but what I see myself doing. Makes quite the difference, n'est-ce pas?