someone else gets it!

i'm skipping a choir concert this afternoon because i'm feeling run down and i have too much to do. so what do i do? a bunch of chores and now am surfing the internet whilst listening to (not watching) Disney's "Fantasia".

anyway, while on my favorite style blogger's website, i happened upon another website. i didn't think much of it when i linked to it - i figured it was just someone like me, pontificating about life and their philosopies on same.

i was right, but this woman has taken it to a new level - the public level. i read her post about finding your purpose, which we all know is my obsession in life, among other things.

it's not so much about what she wrote, it's more that she discussed "ego v. spirit", which is something i struggle with constantly. basically, you know you're capable of doing one thing, but you're "stuck" doing something else that brings you a certain level of satisfaction (perhaps a great level of satisfaction). your ego tells you, "there's more to life than this!" and even though you're happy with where you are or with what you're doing or with who you have become, your ego knocks you off balance and makes you think you're still a long way from success.

but whose idea of success? yours? your parents'? your friends'? society's? in that post, she encourages her readers to be patient and to have faith that the trajectory of our lives is what we set it on, and not what other people want it set on. it's not about sitting back and seeing how things go but rather, that if you continue on with what brings you joy and what makes you feel fulfilled, that your ideal life (i.e. not someone else's version of ideal) will unfold before you.

it's not something i didn't know before, but it's nice to be reminded, not just for my own life, but to remind me that other peoples' lives are products of their own hopes, wishes and ideas. just because someone isn't living the life i would lead or do lead, doesn't mean they're not living a full life, which means i don't have any right to try to change it. i may have an opinion (and as i get older and more comfortable with who i have become, i have a lot of opinions), but it doesn't mean it's transferrable to someone else's life.

ego-check.