Hey Everyone! I hope you are all doing well & are making it through this incredibly crazy weather successfully. Last week something really hit my heart & I felt that it was a topic I should write on. Pull up a chair, grab a cup of coffee or tea and join me.
While writing a birthday card last week I was thinking about what was in my heart to say to this person on their special day, the one thing that settled in my heart was to emphasize the importance of living life to the fullest. You see, I know so many people that have no idea what living really is or they forget what life is about. Because in all reality, they’re just existing.
So many of us can easily get stuck in a routine, fall into habits, and get caught up in the daily grind of life, it’s easy to do, it’s how we’re wired. It IS our own doing but, we get so caught up in existing, that we forget to live. I’m even guilty of falling into this category absentmindedly sometimes. Then you have others. Well, some people try to prevent them from living. You may ask how a person could prevent another from living their life? Manipulation, control, making someone think they depend on you in an unhealthy way, keeping them bound down to their personal reality of the way things should be, trying to discourage their dreams by making excuses on why it can’t work, not letting go and these are just a handful of ways people try to prevent others from living. Sadly, the signs of this aren’t always obvious, including to the person being pushed around. Both of these categories are very different but in the end, you choose the outcome to both.
The definition of living is this simply put: having life, to be alive, feeling free, fulfilled, and happy. The definition of existing? Being here physically, but just taking it one day at a time, living each day without feeling much of anything. What kind of existence do we have if we don’t live this life with as much passion as humanly possible? We have to grab onto that feeling surging through our veins that makes us feel alive, whatever that might be. Whether it’s chasing your dreams, changing your profession, adventuring around the United States, enjoying your hobbies on your days off, or just staying at home planting flowers in your garden. Do more of that.
Every day I wake up & try my best to chase after what makes me feel alive. Writing, fitness, reading, planting flowers, watching my birds at the feeders, working with my husband in our lawn care & landscaping business in the warm months. Spending time with my family, hosting dinners at our home, having as many adventures as possible; even if that adventure is running to Wal-Mart with my better half at a stupid hour just to get ice cream or ordering a Papa John’s pizza at midnight because we’re snacky. Or having cookouts until late at night & laughing until our stomachs hurt and the list goes on. The point of this post? To encourage you to take a moment to reflect, are you living or existing? What do you need to do to break out of that box? Are you letting your inner fire burn? Do you need to make any changes in your day to day life? Are people preventing you from living? If the answer to that question is yes, this may be hard to hear but, let them go. When writing your story, don’t let someone else hold the pen. God put us on this earth for a purpose, not to just be here. He sent His only Son to die for us so that we may have life, and have it to the fullest. (John 10:10) We were never meant to just exist.
Until next time….
Katie
courageunchained@gmail.com
Courage Unchained 