Truth

Keeping It in Perspective

Things that went wrong in the last week or so:

1. My husband ran our car over a concrete slab (on accident, of course); this cost around $400.00 of unexpected out-of-pocket expenses.
2. I got a speeding ticket, along with a ticket for not being registered (it's a long story; we're trying to renew our registration in Idaho, but we're having trouble getting it done).
3. My husband's computer died.  When he called to find out about fixing it, he was told that it costs $200.00 per hour to have it looked at/fixed.  I mean, c'mon...is this for real?
4. I called about the speeding ticket, after realizing that it is due today.  Apparently, in Reading, Ohio, if you don't pay the ticket in full by the date stipulated, a warrant is put out for your arrest.  So, I had to walk to the post office and send the check for $130.00.

Things that went right in the last week or so:

1. I signed a book contract.

Yeah, I think this about evens things out. :)

Of course, there are many other things that are always going right in my life: a great little family (my husband and cat), a thriving career, great friendships, a roof over my head, etc.  But, for now, I think the contract will get me through the next 30 things that go wrong.

Courage Is the Thing, You Know?

For my birthday, my sister got me Matthew Kelly's The Book of Courage, which contains pages and pages of quotes on the subject of courage.  (Interesting fact: Kelly has been compiling these quotes since he was seventeen years old!)

At first, I didn't really "get" why courage was such an important topic.  I mean, I understood why a person would want to have courage in certain circumstances -- public speaking, for example -- but I didn't really understand why fear is such an all-encompassing, and often debilitating, emotion.

In his introduction, Kelly explains why fear is so pervasive: it keeps us from accomplishing our goals, from attempting new things, from bouncing back after life-altering or traumatic circumstances.

Fear keeps us stagnant, tentative.  Courage gives us the inner power to pursue things that matter.

One section of the introduction really grabbed me:

Don't waste your life, because life is there -- all you have to do is reach our and embrace it.  Anything is possible.  Whatever your dream is, make it happen.  Have courage.  Start today.  You will be amazed what life will give you in return for a little bit of courage. 

Be certain of one thing, the measure of your life will be the measure of your courage.

Powerful words, right?

Those of you who know me personally know that parts of my life have been a truly uphill battle, and I don't hesitate to call myself courageous.  But after battling through that part of my life, I thought I didn't need to be courageous anymore.  Wrong.

Courage is always present in our lives.  It is the driving force, the thing that gives you the "umph" you need to keep on keepin' on.

Courage is stepping away from the comfort of a 9-to-5 and pursuing your passion.  It's skydiving.  It's traveling to new places and meeting new people.  It's going back to school after 20 years.  It's writing a book.  It's starting to exercise and taking control of your health.  It's attempting a new home improvement project.  It's joining a social group and making new friends.

Courage is small, and it is big.  It can be easy to come by, and it can be the most difficult thing in the world to muster.

Kelly says:

So, what are we waiting for?  We only get one shot at life.  Isn't it time for a little soul-searching?  Visit a quiet church in the middle of the day.  Take a walk in the park.  Turn off the television and talk to your children.  Open the paper and look for the job you've always wanted.  Keep a promise.  Tell your mom you love her.  Restore an old Ford.  Make friends with your neighbors.  Say yes instead of maybe.  Watch a sunset.  Write your spouse a love letter.  Fly a kite.  Say "sorry".  Ask that girl out on a date.  Try a food you've never tasted before.  Make peace with God.

He's right: what are we waiting for?  Life is so precious and so short -- let us go out into the world and make the most of it.

Some Thoughts About Travel

The People's Committee Building, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, during Tet holiday

It's official: it's been too long since I've traveled.

I do realize that I flew to Boise a little over a week ago, but that doesn't really count, now does it?  I'm talking real travel.  The what-is-this-stuff-I'm-eating, talking-with-hand-guestures, everything-is-totally-new-and-different sort of travel.

For all the whining I do about wanting to be back in Boise, I really do miss being abroad.  I miss the strangeness of it, the empowerment I feel when accomplishing little things (like taking a taxi by myself for the first time in a new country), the ever-present "otherness" that permeates everything I do.  I miss sitting at a table in Phu My Hung, Ho Chi Minh City, eating yellow noodles, and looking around and realizing how wonderful and full life is.  I miss Sunday mornings: leaving late to get to church at the Notre Dame Cathedral, a lunch of eggs, rice, and baguettes afterwards, ordering coffee at Western coffeeshops.  I even miss Ben Thanh: its stinky fish smell, the hands grabbing at my elbows, the particularly good bootleg DVD stands, the smiles that quickly fade when you decide not to buy.

I even miss the Dominican Republic sometimes: my students, who became like siblings to me; twice monthly trips to amazing beaches; egg sandwiches (sin mayonesa), fresh mango smoothies (sin azúcar), and tostones at that little restaurant in the Zona Colonial; trying not to fall asleep during mass, with the echoey, Spanish words lulling me in the hot, old buildings; cobblestone streets that elicited that feeling of real traveling.

But what does this mean, exactly?  Will this nostalgia lead to more travels, new locales, another home abroad?

For now, we are in Ohio.  But in two years, who knows?  And even if we don't move back abroad, I plan to explore every inch of this world of ours.

Dream Are Only Dreams (...Until They're Not Anymore)

This past weekend, I had the pleasure of being a featured speaker at the Idaho Book Extravaganza.  And while I went there excited to be a part of the event, meet writers and editors, and talk to the community, I left with something more: a deeper appreciation for what accomplishing a goal can mean to a person.

As I met person after person, and heard about their manuscripts and goals, I couldn't help but feel moved.  Here were people who were taking a step toward accomplishing something they'd always wanted to do, people who were brave enough to approach me and tell me their stories.  I noticed how their expressions would change when they started talking about their manuscripts, and I could see that many people were revisiting dreams they'd almost given up on, dreams that are still very, very present.

As I reflected on my many conversations, I couldn't help but wonder: What is it that causes us to move in the opposite direction of our dreams?  Why do we put that half-written manuscript inside a desk that sits in a room no one uses?  Why are we so afraid to talk about the things we desire?

Of course, not everyone wants to write a book.  Other people have different dreams: climbing a summit, backpacking through Europe, doing a triathlon.  But it's not really the type of dream that matters, is it?  The question still remains: Why don't we spend every waking moment moving in the direction of our dreams?  What is it about success that is just so terrifying?

When I was in long distance track in high school, my coach once said to me, "When you run, keep your eyes on the back of the person in front of you.  You naturally move toward the thing you're looking at."

And so it is with goals.  The more we read, talk, think, and write about our dreams, the more likely we are to accomplish them.  We must keep our eyes always forward and our bodies always moving in the direction of our dreams.

After all, if we are always looking forward in anticipation of the prize, aren't we naturally more likely to become victorious?

What's on Your Bucket List?

While I was teaching in the Dominican Republic, we did a unit on Tuesdays with Morrie.  It really is a lovely little book, and it got us, as a class, thinking about what we'd each individually like to do before we die.  Not in a creepy sense, but it a life-is-too-short sorta sense.  It prompted some interesting discussions, but I haven't really thought much about the topic since then.

Lately, though, I've been hearing a lot of talk about "bucket lists".  I can't help but wonder: do people actually write these things out?  I always thought of a bucket list as a metaphorical thing; it seemed that someone would say, "Oh, yeah, that's on my bucket list!" in reference to any cool thing he or she wanted to do.

Recently, someone specifically mentioned adding an item to his bucket list complete with a number, which gave me pause.  Do people really take these bucket lists seriously?  It seems so.

I think I'd like to get in on this bucket-list-havin' crowd.  So, below, I've started an initial bucket list.  It'll need some refinement, but it's a start, anyhow:

1. Travel every continent of the world extensively.
2. See the seven wonders of the modern and ancient world.
3. Travel Ireland for several weeks/months.
4. See Machu Picchu at sunrise.
5. Skydive.
6. Write and publish a book (as a sole author, not coauthor or editor).
7. Take a Mediterranean cruise.
8. Have artwork on display at an art museum.
9. Build a house near water (preferably the ocean), with a separate writing and art studio.
10. Take a big vacation alone to write, think, and explore.
11. Run a half marathon (this may graduate to a full as I get older).

So, there is is--all written out and numbered.  I officially have a bucket list; it's definitely not a full list, but it's a start.  

What about you?  What's on your bucket list?