We all know Nike's slogan: Just do it. I can't procrastinate any longer or ignore my impending move to the east coast. Vacation is over, and I have to pack up my belongings, pick up the moving truck, and make room in my brain for the trappings of a new life. I have to confront and accept some painful circumstances: I'm going to be living apart from Dave for at least several months.
In some ways, it's a relief that things are really starting up. There's no more looking back, and I doubt there will be time for mulling over my regrets. I am feeling a bit better about my current situation. Dave has some bites in his job hunt; I can live temporarily with family while I wait for Dave's employment situation to be resolved; I'm really looking forward to getting back into teaching.
I've been contemplating recently the phenomenon of having regrets: it's a real luxury. The fact that I can regret my job decisions means that I had choices at one point, that I can imagine (and believe I "deserve") a different life. How many people are so trapped in difficult situations that they cannot even picture an alternative? Of course, my regrets also depend upon an illusion, for surely my vision of the life resulting from a different choice is overly rosy and excludes the real challenges and problems I would have faced.
I like to think of myself as a pragmatist. So for 2014, I want to accept the consequences of my choices, whether I expected them or not, and learn to manage. I guess this is what they call "growing up."
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"just do it" is how i feel about making a roast duck. i think we shall have no regrets over sharing our meal this evening! unless of course, i royally screwed up. which i don't think i did at present. :-)
ReplyDeleteInspiring approach! Similar (but not as articulate) thoughts have crossed my mind when I've seen people in much less fortunate circumstances. This includes (obviously) many situations in developing countries, as well as when I saw a women with her young children at a bus stop on Christmas Eve... something I am fortunate now to be able to avoid if I want to. People face so many things, and many do so so nobly. Thanks for the reminders to take the situation/life by the horns (excuse the cliche) rather than play victim and to be grateful for all that we have. Cheers to making 2014 a great year! :)
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