I’m in the process of snazzing up my blog.
Problem is, I’ve been ‘in the process’ of snazzing up my blog for three months (intermittently, obviously) and the ‘new’ blog has already gotten a bit old. My main challenge is the graphics side, and I’m currently on designer #4 with revised deadline #3. Nevertheless, I’m trusting that this project is finally coming to fruition; and thus I have been tackling the long overdue rewrite of my ‘About Me’ section.
Talk about a painful process! It’s a bit tricky to capture what you’re all about if you can’t progress beyond a marginally depressing childhood… and let’s face it, once I actually got beyond that (long and formative) bit, things have turned out pretty damn good! So like any good writer, I shall persevere, naturally.
Slightly cross-eyed from all that computer time, I decided to treat myself to a movie night on the couch. (Yes, there’s irony in taking a respite from your Mac by staring at an iPad screen instead. That’s what you get when you’re married to Mr Technology).
My chosen flick? I’m Fine, Thanks, a freshly released documentary that is ‘a collection of stories about life, the choices we all make, and the paths we ultimately decide to follow’. I’m pretty excited about this film as I made a teeny tiny contribution to its production via Kickstarter, a really nifty site that helps people get funding for their creative projects.
I’m Fine, Thanks is a cool movie filled with everyday people talking about their hopes and dreams, and about finding the courage to follow them in the midst of society’s expectations of the job, the marriage, the house and the 2.1 kids – all equalling safety and security, supposedly. What I like best about it is that it is so real, not filled with fancy people with letters either before or after their names (or both) talking about the manifestation process from a metaphysical angle. These are just average people who have dared to do extraordinary things (by their own standards, not anyone else’s); things like, say, make a feature-length film in less than three months, because that’s what they felt called to do.
Now, normally these kinds of films are supposed to leave you feeling all inspired. Ready to look at your own life and take (different) action. My reaction was slightly different. Sure, I loved watching people share how they are pursuing their passion, but I didn’t feel compelled to turn my whole life around on the spot.
Then it occurred to me that despite my ever-present desire to ‘do MORE and be MORE’ whilst simultaneously wishing to ‘DO less and BE more’ (yes, I’m conflicted a lot!), I’ve actually already ‘achieved’ a lot of what the movie peeps are talking about. I’ve already made the choice to leave that fabulously successful career in order to have a better quality of life. I’m already fortunate to pursue what I love, and I’m in a relationship with someone who does the same.
Of course there are always new adventures, new challenges, new dreams. And I sure have been quietly pondering some of those over the past 24 hours, like where and how I want to live next, for example. I’d also be lying if I didn’t admit to being a bit restless lately, ready for something BIG to happen. But sometimes I get so caught up in what I still want to do that I forget that actually, there’s a lot I’ve already done to create a lifestyle that works for me.
And on top of all that thinking , it’s a bloody fantastic feeling to have done something small to help someone else pursue their dream.
So check out the movie, and dare to do something to make someone else’s dream come true. Makes you feel good, and boosts your karma.
I’m obviously still making amends from my pre-parenting days…