BEFORE: Tarnished, slightly stooped
AFTER: Sparkling, enthusiastic
THE SECRET: A day off
Wow, did I learn a valuable lesson this weekend. I thought just a few days ago something was wrong with me, that I must be getting “old” and losing my zest for life. I wasn’t having fun most of the time. Everything I did took so much effort.
A friend wrote to me, lamenting how his life consisted of work, family and hobbies. The implicit question I heard was, “What else is there?”
I didn’t have an answer.
Then I took a day off. I packed into that single day rest, sunshine, adventure, learning, and good times with my husband and friends. The landscape changed.
And how! Monday morning I woke at 4:30, as usual. However, instead of awakening and worrying about an unfinished task (which has become my steady insomniac’s diet of late), I woke realizing my real answer to this question.
What Else Is There?
The answers spilled out of me in a torrent. Passion. Excitement. Adventure. Romance. Love. Joy. Terror. Exhilaration.
It is true I often experience these states during work, relating to family or pursuing hobbies. But when I start with these states of being as the foundation of my life instead of the different aspects of what I do, my life completely shifts. It turns from dull to brilliant, from a calendar of appointments to keeping to moments to savor.
One day is all it took to realign my perspective and remember why I do everything I do. And to remember that whether or not I have fun in the process is my choice.
I am now going to my calendar to mark off at least one day every few weeks for the rest of the summer. I hope this inspires others in need of perspective to do the same!
Ms. Dewberry, an accomplished cellist, completed her DMA in Chamber Music Performance from UCLA in December 2005. She received her MM in Cello Performance from UCLA in June 2002 and her B.M. in Cello Performance from Western Michigan University in April 1998. She also holds a B.A. in French with a minor in Women's Studies and Philosophy.
Her website is www.carterdewberry.com
She may be contacted at carter@carterdewberry.com
