Ever since I can remember, I’ve had a fascination with paper and pens. In the beginning, it was loose-leaf, narrow-ruled notebooks. The paper couldn’t have any creases and my pencils had to be extra sharp. Later, I began to write in diaries which I used up pretty quickly.
All of my adult life, I’ve collected journals which eventually get written in. In the meantime, they perch quietly on the bookshelf awaiting their turn. Some will get ideas and plans, while others will overflow with poems and prose. Various sizes and colors - I love them all.
This past weekend, I purchased three new ones; one wrapped in plastic. I realized that I had a couple more on the bookshelf that I hadn't taken out of the plastic; ones that were more expensive or had special embellishment on them. It occurred to me that I was saving them but I wasn’t able to come up with a valid reason for not using them yet.
Don’t we do this all the time? We buy outfits and save for a special occasion that never comes. We buy furniture that goes into that room no one is allowed to even go in!
There they were – these beautiful journals staring back at me, as if to question why they haven’t seen ink on their pages. I was waiting for…what? Something that I think is worthy of the “good” journals, I suppose.
I decided to remove the plastic and allowed them to finally breathe. The optimism made me smile. Oftentimes, we place restrictions in our lives for no good reason other than fear or uncertainty. All it does is keeps us from being the best version of ourselves. We will buy the outfit, and the “good” dishes, but then place them on the shelf because we’re not ready yet. What are we waiting on?
We have no problem identifying what makes us feel good. However, there's a disconnect between honoring that and believing we have to wait for some "right" time.
The sooner we understand that there is no perfect time for things, the better off we will be. We'll begin to see life in a different view - one that allows us to take the plastic off and breathe.
Today, begin to think about those areas in your life you’ve placed on the shelf, because you’re waiting on some magical moment. The moment is now! Challenge yourself to live fully as your best self. The good and pretty is waiting on you.