What do you do when your soul longs for adventure, but your brain doesn’t seem to fully comprehend what that means (or just chooses to ignore it)?
For as long as I remember, I’ve been conflicted by these feelings. It would help if I wasn’t either such an (a) romantic or a (b) pragmatist. The two just don’t work well together. Or perhaps they do - they just leave a person feeling quite confused a lot of the time.
In order to explain, I’ll provide a dramatic interpretation. For obvious reasons, we’ll call the two characters Crazy Cat and Boring Betty…
Crazy Cat: “Hey Betty! What a beautiful day, huh?! You can just feel the warm breeze blowing through your soul, clearing your winter demons and preparing you for a bright spring.”
Boring Betty: “Um, I guess the promise of Spring is nice, but my eyes and nose have been itching non-stop the past few days! I probably shouldn’t even be out here - I can already tell how horrible I’m going to feel later!”
Cat (staring deeply into Betty’s soul, hoping to form a spiritual bond, to really feel what Betty is feeling): “Well, don’t worry about that! Look up at the bright blue sky! Listen to the birds! Smell the grass!
“So, the reason I wanted you to meet me out here is that I’ve been thinking a lot about just packing up and moving to Paris for a year or so. You know there’s no one I’d love to share the experience with more than you, so I wanted to extend the invitation… What do you think?”
Betty (fishing a tissue out of her purse to blow her nose for the millionth time today, and taking a step back - she always hates it when Cat chooses to not respect personal space while also making eye contact for uncomfortable amounts of time): “What? Are you CRAZY?! What about my job? And my mortgage… bills… pets… cars… My family! They’ll think I’ve completely lost it!”
Cat:” Oh Betty… You’re always so practical! Just think… You’re going to wake up one day and realize that you’ve lived your live so ‘responsibly’ but wonder if you had even lived at all! What about your dreams? You always wanted to be a writer, an artist, a poet… What are you waiting for? Do you think it’ll be easier when you’re 40? or 50? or what?
“Honestly, I knew you’d have a million reasons why you ‘couldn’t’ go. But what about the reasons you should? Take some time… think about this. You don’t have to make a decision today. And if you decide you really couldn’t, or shouldn’t, I’d understand. I love my practical Betty… Sometimes I think about how you truly balance me out… Keep me from doing silly things. But really… think about it. And let me know.”
Betty: “Well, I’m glad you appreciate my sense of responsibility! You know I love you, too, and a trip to Paris sounds wonderful! But, maybe I could join you for a month… not a year. You know I’d go crazy without knowing the language. And the customs. Plus, my daily routine is my life. I’m lost without it!”
Cat and Betty talked a little more about moving to Paris before parting ways. Cat skipped along towards her favorite spot in the park, excited about the new book of Sylvia Plath poetry she had borrowed from the library, her long dress flowing in the wind, nearly over her leather and twine sandals. And Betty walked toward her four-door coupe, eager to go home and throw on her running clothes before the dusk would deter her from running her four-day-a-week run (the same route every day). They both smiled as they walked off, appreciating their friend for exactly who she was.
Okay, okay… I know what you’re thinking. That I’m totally schizo! I’m not! Or I am! JK… It’s just, as I mentioned above, that I often feel conflicted about which path to take. And, to be honest, I enjoy a routine, but also enjoy spontaneaity… I like owning a house, having dinner at 6:30 each night and watching American Idol on Wednesdays, but I also dream of Ryan and I giving all that up to move to Europe - or wherever - for a year.
For as long as I remember, I’ve been conflicted by these feelings. It would help if I wasn’t either such an (a) romantic or a (b) pragmatist. The two just don’t work well together. Or perhaps they do - they just leave a person feeling quite confused a lot of the time.
In order to explain, I’ll provide a dramatic interpretation. For obvious reasons, we’ll call the two characters Crazy Cat and Boring Betty…
Crazy Cat: “Hey Betty! What a beautiful day, huh?! You can just feel the warm breeze blowing through your soul, clearing your winter demons and preparing you for a bright spring.”
Boring Betty: “Um, I guess the promise of Spring is nice, but my eyes and nose have been itching non-stop the past few days! I probably shouldn’t even be out here - I can already tell how horrible I’m going to feel later!”
Cat (staring deeply into Betty’s soul, hoping to form a spiritual bond, to really feel what Betty is feeling): “Well, don’t worry about that! Look up at the bright blue sky! Listen to the birds! Smell the grass!
“So, the reason I wanted you to meet me out here is that I’ve been thinking a lot about just packing up and moving to Paris for a year or so. You know there’s no one I’d love to share the experience with more than you, so I wanted to extend the invitation… What do you think?”
Betty (fishing a tissue out of her purse to blow her nose for the millionth time today, and taking a step back - she always hates it when Cat chooses to not respect personal space while also making eye contact for uncomfortable amounts of time): “What? Are you CRAZY?! What about my job? And my mortgage… bills… pets… cars… My family! They’ll think I’ve completely lost it!”
Cat:” Oh Betty… You’re always so practical! Just think… You’re going to wake up one day and realize that you’ve lived your live so ‘responsibly’ but wonder if you had even lived at all! What about your dreams? You always wanted to be a writer, an artist, a poet… What are you waiting for? Do you think it’ll be easier when you’re 40? or 50? or what?
“Honestly, I knew you’d have a million reasons why you ‘couldn’t’ go. But what about the reasons you should? Take some time… think about this. You don’t have to make a decision today. And if you decide you really couldn’t, or shouldn’t, I’d understand. I love my practical Betty… Sometimes I think about how you truly balance me out… Keep me from doing silly things. But really… think about it. And let me know.”
Betty: “Well, I’m glad you appreciate my sense of responsibility! You know I love you, too, and a trip to Paris sounds wonderful! But, maybe I could join you for a month… not a year. You know I’d go crazy without knowing the language. And the customs. Plus, my daily routine is my life. I’m lost without it!”
Cat and Betty talked a little more about moving to Paris before parting ways. Cat skipped along towards her favorite spot in the park, excited about the new book of Sylvia Plath poetry she had borrowed from the library, her long dress flowing in the wind, nearly over her leather and twine sandals. And Betty walked toward her four-door coupe, eager to go home and throw on her running clothes before the dusk would deter her from running her four-day-a-week run (the same route every day). They both smiled as they walked off, appreciating their friend for exactly who she was.
Okay, okay… I know what you’re thinking. That I’m totally schizo! I’m not! Or I am! JK… It’s just, as I mentioned above, that I often feel conflicted about which path to take. And, to be honest, I enjoy a routine, but also enjoy spontaneaity… I like owning a house, having dinner at 6:30 each night and watching American Idol on Wednesdays, but I also dream of Ryan and I giving all that up to move to Europe - or wherever - for a year.
So, I guess my continuous quest is figuring out how to blend the two. I believe you can have both, but how? You may think I’m crazy, but I feel like these are exactly the sort of questions I should be asking at exactly this point in my life. Duh!
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