Eat Pray Love

I just finished reading this book, and enjoyed it thoroughly. This may surprise you, because (unless it's by Jodi Picoult or Elizabeth Berg) I rarely go to grown-up books! (Okay, 3 Cups of Tea and the Camel Bookmobile were exceptions too...maybe I'm growing up a bit?) I tend to gravitate to coming of age fantasy and science fiction YA books. This was a more mainstream book than what I'm used to.
However, I was inspired by the book to think about what is most important to me. Normally, I say people, creativity, nature, learning, and appreciating life are crucial for me when trying to create a life well-lived. However, those are big ideas, not goals. This week, I'm trying to give words to three overarching goals for my life, ones that I can check in on each day, ones that I can make sure aren't at odds with one another.

So far, this is what I have:

a) I want to be aware of my life, and appreciate it as I experience it. All too often, we look back on the past and see that we didn't notice important details because we were too busy brooding over what has been lost or worrying about what's ahead. I think of Emily of Our Town, and how she realizes how much she missed of life when she was living it. In my younger years, I tried to solve this problem by recording everything in my journal. Now, however, I want to solve it by living life with an appreciative heart.

b)I want to be a purveyor of hope, joy and compassion for the people in my life, a positive force for growth. There are so many splendid people who have helped me get to where I am today by being kind, by listening, by recommending a book or guiding me through hard times. I hope that I can pass this kindness forward....without being judgemental.

c) I want to go beyond thinking creative thoughts; I want to perform actions that make the world better. Tikkun Olam.... I want to create songs and stories and lessons and photos that will endure beyond my life span, that will be a record and a source of hope or amusement for people in the future.

I think I'll need to compact these values, these goals... but that's where I am today.
What about you?

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