As many of you know, I just got back from spending 20 days in Costa Rica with my family. Hunter spent the entire time hanging out with his cousins. Jeff wasn’t able to go with us this time, and I made it a point to stay offline for the duration of the trip. For these reasons, I had a LOT of “me time”… time to think, and to get to know myself.
If I could only give you one bit of advice, it would be this:
KNOW YOURSELF.
I’ve come to realize that there are no right answers… but some feel more “right” than the rest. We each have to find what those answers are.
No matter how much time we spend with others, or how much of ourselves we share, no one else can ever fully know us. We are infinitely too complex and ever-changing to fit neatly into any pattern or profile.
Only we can know ourselves. In any circumstance, at all times, no matter what the variables, only we have full access to the secret chambers of our hearts, and enigmatic labyrinths of our minds.
There are at least ten things we should each know about ourselves, and be able to answer with ease:
1. What matters most to me?
2. What bothers me the most (about myself, others, or the world)?
3. Who enriches my life experience?
4. Who makes my life more difficult than it needs to be?
5. What do I believe beyond the shadow of a doubt?
6. What conditions make me happy?
7. What conditions make me miserable?
8. Is there something or someone I can’t live without?
9. Is everything that is in my life necessary, and adding value?
10. Am I making progress towards a goal of my choosing?
These are but a few of the questions I pondered during my three-week sabbatical, and I found my answers for each of them.
You may recall from my post, Costa Rica is Paradise (and Why I Don’t Live There) that, contrary to all probability, I’ve never been inclined to make Costa Rica my permanent home. It is a beautiful country; I love my friends and family there; the food is great, and it’s an all-around wonderful place to be. And yet, as I confirmed again on this trip, it isn’t the place for me.
I will greatly miss my family and friends, but must get back to my life… the one I have chosen, and created… the one that feels right to me. I can do this, and feel certain about my decision, because I know myself.
While I was in Costa Rica, I realized something else about myself: I am not a blogger. I have enjoyed my blogging experiment, and I am so grateful for all the friends I’ve met online, but blogging is not for me. There’s probably no way I could ever explain this in a way that would make sense to everyone, but I know it to be true.
Every great adventure must come to an end, and so it is with this Quest for Balance. The time has come for a new beginning. I wish I could tell you I know what this new phase of my life will look like, but I don’t. I’m just excited to see what comes next.
Of course, I’ll still be “around”… reading my favorite blogs, and reachable by email. But I plan to spend most of my time offline. I don’t want to spend my time reading about life, or even writing about life. I want to be out there, Living it.
“Whatever we may think or believe, what we have done is our story.” (Fulghum)
I hope to DO a bunch of things with this beautiful Vermont Spring… go for nature hikes, grow vegetables in the community garden, dabble in art, take a dance class, visit some covered bridges, spend time with friends, frequent the farmer’s markets, enjoy local cuisine, ride bikes with my family, take lots of pictures, hang out in the library, look for shapes in the clouds… there’s no tellin’, really.
I just want Life, The Universe and Everything to know this:
I’m here… ready, willing and able to make the most of each day. I will not take this life, or the people in it, for granted. I am eternally grateful for all the blessings I’ve been given.
Thank YOU for being here for this awesome journey, and…
So Long!!