I was watching the movie “Greenberg” and one of the characters said, “It’s huge to finally embrace the life you never planned on.” I had to stop the movie and rewind. There I was, watching the movie alone and I felt like it was a moment I was supposed to experience in solitude and really contemplate. It was a moment of enlightenment for me.
I’m sure you get it, unless you are just starting out in life and haven’t gotten to the point where you are living the life you never planned on. This simple observation in the form of 11 words put so much in perspective for me and brought a sense of peace. It made me realize…
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- That life has not turned out like I thought.
- That my doubts have gotten in the way of my dreams.
- That my dreams have changed.
- That I am so much more than what I have done or have failed to do.
- That some dreams I never imagined have come true.
- That life is bittersweet and beautiful.
I think that for a long time I struggled with what my life was “supposed” to be versus what my life has actually become. There was a sense of loss or disappointment. A failure to appreciate the quiet beauty that surrounds me. Accepting the life I never planned on isn’t about settling for less than I wanted, it’s about realizing that plans are not promises and that the dreams I had as a child or a young woman are no longer the dreams I have now.
My life has not always been easy, but it has been so unbelievably rewarding. Sometimes the life you never planned on is pretty darned good and maybe even more rewarding that what you had planned.
I heard a quote not too long ago that said, “You need to stop living the life you were given and start living the life you want” I loved that one.
I love the one you posted here too……..I think yours is better.
I love this, all of it, but especially this:
That I am so much more than what I have done or have failed to do.
I have found myself doing this from time to time too but then when you stop for a moment & not be so caught up in the woes of everyday I realize that the “what is” is better then anything I could have imagined it being. What a greeat feeling huh!
Hugs to you & the wee ones.
Love this, Mami. The best laid plans, and all of that…
That is so true. I definitely am not living the life I had planned, but it is wonderfully sweet, nonetheless.
These are words of wisdom. Acceptance and my attitude are about the only things I can control. Yoiu really said it here.
i have a friend who writes life.rearranged. it’s a blog about events that happen in our lives that turn it upside down… forever altered. she uses people’s stories to bring awareness for charities. it’s such a well-written blog. (liferearranged.com) i guess to some extent we can all say our lives have been rearranged. mine a bunch of times. thanks for the reminder to not focus on the bad, but on the amazing blessings that have come, instead. even in our darkest times, i have been gripped by God’s presence. and what could be more awesome than that??
I think I’m inching towards the end of the struggle to put my life in a headlock and make it do what I want it to do (it doesn’t.) I think I’m in the exasperated period of my life where I’ve just stopped planning because it’s not going according to plan. There’s a fine line between holding to the death onto a dream and dreaming but holding it loosely. I think because I can’t master the fine line I haven’t been dreaming.
You gotta keep dreaming.
Bravo! My sentiments exactly!
I Love this, and honestly I have read it through twice, I needed to hear this today!
Thanks!
I keep thinking I want my old life back the one prior to moving to Germany….but I know it’s not gonna happen so now I’m re inventing my new life in rural NY it’s a slow process and I still ache for the old life but I know I’m blessed.
Beautiful.
So true, Mami, and I think as we get older we have to learn to even further embrace this idea. The life we have, whatever it is, is a gift and embracing it is the thanks we give for that gift.
It’s surprising how you take this one road…the road that is SURE to never go to the place you are in. And then you somehow end up where you are and go, “How the hell did I get here? And why did I never want to? Cuz it’s pretty good.” 🙂
Great post and message. I get annoyed with people who think or pretend they can plan everything. The universe is too random to allow that. This subject can also get you into a religious area about destiny and master plans. I’ll just leave one more thought (but this is a very interesting topic to me) read – “The Drunkard’s Walk – How Randomness Rules Our Lives” by Leonard Mlodinow.
That’s great Mami. Truly great.
I so agree! many blessings to you and the babies 🙂
I think I may have to post that quote, “It’s huge to finally embrace the life you never planned on”, on my Facebook page tomorrow!! Wonderful! Sometimes it’s the hard part of our life that make the sweet parts even sweeter. Otherwise, those moments might just be normal parts of life.
I feel the same way… though in reality I did not have any real ‘plans’ for my life many years ago… but I am happy with how my life has turned out so far for sure.
I like your last two sentences. I think that fits with so many of our lives. And when we look at it all, we do realize we are truly blessed.
betty
ohhh! <3 Definitely impacting! I'll have to ponder it more in the light of day (4am here! I'm not up for heavy thinking)
It's been far too long since I've been over here 🙂 Just wanted to see how things were going. 🙂 Take care!
So far my life has been pretty much what I had “planned” but now I am stuck. What’s to come next?
We are really on the same bloggy page today!! 🙂
LOVE this!
My life has been a jumble of “wtf is happening” and at some point, I just accepted that it’s not “wtf” but it’s more like “oh really….”
And now I take the attitude of: whatever, bring it on WORLD!!!!
Beautiful ((HUGS))
What a great quote! Acceptance and appreciation…nice. Going to remember this one for when I need a reminder 😉
This is so true…The life I am living now is something I never would have imagined. It is not all peaches but I value life so differently now. Like my mom tells me out of something bad there’s something good!
What a beautiful and poignant post and sooo timely! Thank you for sharing that. I needed to read it.
This post Couldn’t have fit the moment for me more perfectly. thanks for sharing this thought and adding to my perspective!
My pleasure! Hope you are well.
I think your life is turning out to be pretty darn good. Yes, sometimes you just need to sit back and appreciate 😀 “That my doubts have gotten in the way of my dreams:” = the story of my life – workin’ on chaning that.
Amen to that! I have been feeling that a lot lately. Awesome post!
I’m going to use that quote for my AILB FB page tomorrow… love it!
As I watched this movie two days ago I did the same . . stop . . rewind . . WRITE IT DOWN! I have not had a life anyone in their right mind would have planned and work daily to not act, sound or BE a victim. To have had such a soul defining philosophy given to me when I least expected it, was a gift I “never expected”, proving that being aware is half the battle. THANKS HOLLYWOOD!
Yeah, that line was powerful and I found myself really wanting to contemplate it. I felt like I was supposed to watch that movie because that line resonated so deeply.
How old do you have to be before you have to stop trying to create the life you are planning on and start embracing the life you didn’t plan on? When does that transition happen exactly?