What’s ‘in’ this season: new outlook, new you

 

This past weekend, I joined another hiker for a six-mile trek through new-to-me desert terrain. As the two of us navigated the dusty trails, we discovered common interests and beliefs despite the decade that separates our birthdays. Recently, my friend quit her job because it interfered with her hikes, her yoga. Her sanity. Although she resides in a different season of her life than me—where her plans lean toward retirement—the outlook she embraces is one I strive for daily. My friend lives and breathes the old adage that there are seven days in a week and Someday isn’t one of them; that we need to do what we can [enjoy] now, so we can do it for years to come. I knew I couldn’t move the mountains ahead of me, but I could kick aside the bad habits and negative chatter that clutters my path and replace them with stepping stones—small, manageable changes—toward success. Regardless of the season.

What does your makeover look like?

 

Residing in the in-betweens

[Image credit: Evgeni Dinev]

In between goals is a thing called life,
that has to be lived and enjoyed. ~ Sid Caesar

It’s helpful to have those stepping-stones to advance us from Point A to Z without getting our feet wet.  Or at least provide us the impetus to continue moving forward when the journey seems endless, or even thankless.  We break down the big goals into smaller, more manageable tasks.  We include times of refreshment and rejuvenation for our souls or muses or whatever it is that makes us tick.  We dream about a future Someday while muddling through each of our Todays.  But in between doing all of that or when we’re in the middle of the tough stuff — the stuff we want to skim over or ignore completely because it doesn’t feel good, it’s boring or sometimes lonely — we need to take Caesar’s advice to live and enjoy this life during the in-betweens.  Because one day we’ll look back and realize those were quite possibly the times that held potential for the utmost victories, the deepest opportunities for bettering ourselves or the greatest heartbreak countered by the greatest joy.  And we can never get them back.

Do you make the most of the in-between times, or gloss over them, dreaming of better?