So, you know, there’s life happening. I paid my bills, digested the reality of a good friend moving to another part of the world, volunteered some time at the homeless shelter, read up on a local political initiative that could impact my living situation if the vote goes the wrong way, vented some frustration, got happy over a pending trip to Europe, had two eggs over light with whole wheat toast.
Amidst it all, emotions clanging around, I am simultaneously trying to focus on some professional projects that challenge and exhilarate me. This spills off the pen onto my notebook pages:
You can do this. You can. You have so much love and support. You have gifts. You’re using them. You love. You are loved. These are important. Don’t lose sight of that. Don’t lose sight of that at all. You’ve worked so hard to see.
To see.
Yes. That’s it.
I see.
That’s what it means to Live Riveted. Right there.
It’s being able to take ourselves back to that place of appreciation no matter how mundane or horrific, wild or heady, things get. To not lose sight of what is true and essential.
There was a moment in my 40s when I made a decision to live more meaningfully. Something clicked in and I knew that to be even close to happy I had to pay attention to what was happening in the present and to embrace my own ideas of what would bring me fulfillment. I discovered that by bringing my best self to every situation, I was being the best kind of selfish because everyone I came into contact with benefitted.
Now in my 50s, I know you can’t Live Riveted to a dream or a notion and then expect no hiccups, no awkward moments, no questioning. You’ve got to burrow into those and then keep going deeper to reinforce things.
Imagine being riveted to whatever it is that strikes your fancy. Travel, sitting on your porch and staring at the lake, building a web design business, educating under-served children. Whatever your thing is. Maybe it’s not about waking up and thinking every day is glorious. Maybe it’s about being grateful for waking up. Then it’s about realizing we’re living the life we’ve opted for and knowing that whatever sets us back or makes us question it can either strengthen our resolve or bring us down. Perhaps it’s about glorious hours or glorious moments in between all of that stuff that gives us pause or sets us back.
I am riveted to a lifestyle of living my life and chronicling it. To take this message to as many people as possible. I’m doing it right here. See? Sometimes that means getting vulnerable. Sometimes it means stepping out of the routine and seeing an art exhibit or listening to music that’s not my usual genre. Sometimes it means fantasizing about the possibilities on an Airstream lot, not about where it could take you but where you could take it. You’re driving. You’re steering. You’re mapping. Or not.
What a rush. Those simple experiences that push us to think about what else we could do or how we could do what we’re already doing more mindfully. I can Live Riveted to stagnation or make a more stimulating choice – growth, engagement, beauty and, yes, risk.
Maybe you’re already doing that or you’re ready to go there. Did I mention I’m riveted to story? It’s because stories, when shared, buoy us and egg us on. We make it real for ourselves in the telling and perhaps inspire someone else to make theirs real.
I will be telling stories here, mine and others who know what it means to Live Riveted. I invite you to see what I see. Heck, see more than I see.
There’s always some life happening. Let’s drink it all in as we go.
