Peripheral Vision

My last post talked about anticipation, and looking forward to certain things in your life that you have deemed to be significant.  Goals are good!  In building on that philosophy I've decided that it would be appropriate to write a little something about plans.  What is a plan?  I looked it up on Wiki: "A plan is typically any diagram or list of steps with timing and resources, used to achieve an objective."  Nice definition.  Plans are separate from goals--check.
 
Over the past year or so my ideas about making plans have experienced a drastic shift.  There's something about living by myself in a new setting that has brought out the more spontaneous side of my nature.  Once I got over the shock of "Wow, I really just moved to Denver and hardly know anyone-- now what?" I came to the realization that I'm at a wonderful stage in my life where, save for specific things like work and church, my schedule rests almost entirely on me.  I have several hours each day that I can fill with...  This scared me.  I'm the type of person who feels a need to be productive, a need to work towards accomplishing something.  How could I possibly plan out that much free time toward productive things?!  I felt a bit overwhelmed, so something had to change.

Back in the day, blinders were used on carriage horses so that they could only see straight ahead to the task at hand.  If they were allowed to use their peripheral vision, they would become distracted or spooked.  I think this example fits fairly well.  I no longer wear my blinders; I'm not a carriage horse.  Even though I may be distracted, or even spooked, if I'm "allowed" to see anything other than a direct path, I gain a new world of possibilities in how I can accomplish my goals.  Is this the safest way? No.  Does life need to always be safe?

I quit planning.  I started doing.  Problem solved.  There is a time and a place for making plans...but I'm actually at a loss as to when and where that may be-- maybe if you're working for NASA blasting people into outer-space or something of that magnitude, but that's a little bigger deal than "how am I going to spend my weekend."  This doesn't mean that I just wander around aimlessly without purpose or reason; if that were the case, I wouldn't get anything done.  I still have purpose, and I still have goals.  What I mean is that in looking at a theoretical map of "Point A" to "Point B," I no longer feel a need to have a set list of scheduled steps (an itinerary) to go along with it.  My goal is to get to Point B...go!  There are so many more adventures to be had, things to learn, and potential mistakes to learn from if you allow yourself the freedom to do so.  And I actually get more done-- who knew?!

Here's to Days Just Packed with peripheral vision!

Anticipation

I've been looking forward to a lot of things lately.  I wouldn't necessarily say that any of them could be placed in the "momentous" or "earth-shattering" category, but I still await their arrival with anticipation, and regardless of how important they may end up being in the long run, I'm still excited.  It's good to have something to look forward to; it means you're looking up from you're day-to-day life in order to see what is waiting for you just over the horizon.  Even if what you see in the distance remains unclear, that's what makes it so exciting-- it's an adventure!

What am I looking forward to?  My list may sound simple, and a little silly, but I still find adventure and mystery in it.  Trying out the cheap pair of skis I bought on Craig's List, spending a random Saturday at Blackhawk with some friends, playing volleyball on Sunday nights, finally being able to have a conversation in German, the first pitch of the year, beer and peanuts at Coors Field, the first time I walk outside this Spring and smell rain-- my list could go on and on.  Simple, yet satisfying.

What is life like without looking forward to something?  What would the future look like without goals?  That's one thing I intend to not find out! 

Here's to Days Just Packed with anticipation.

Sabbatical

Sabbatical: (from Latin sabbaticus, from Greek sabbatikos, from Hebrew Shabbat i.e., Sabbath, literally a "ceasing").

That's my explanation anyway for not writing any form of blog post for the past 4 or 5 months. I didn't actually take a sabbatical from work or life or anything interesting like that-- just from blogging. It seems like the motivation to do some things goes in waves, and I guess my blog has just been setting at low tide for awhile!

Regardless of reasoning behind motivation levels, I've decided to give the blog a little jump-start. CLEAR!

Hold on to your hats!