The Good Old Days Are Now

When this season of life- me as a college graduate, basically- began, I had no idea what it would look like or how I would define it. But a few months into the haze, I'm beginning to see it more clearly and finally starting to appreciate its beauty.

I was sitting in front of my computer working on my novel a few days ago when it occurred to me that despite all the anxiety and pressure I've been feeling about my future recently, I am actually kind of pursuing my dreams. Okay, not kind of. I am. I have scheduled my life to allow for these things, these unconventional, incredibly hard, but totally worth it things.

And the funny thing is, I think it happened sort of by accident. I decided to do the world race in a year because now is the best time since I'm out of college and still debt-free. And as for writing a novel, well I decided on that mostly due to all the free time I had on my hands since I'm no longer taking classes. But both of these things- traveling the world and writing an actual, full length novel- would have sounded like crazy dreams to me back when I was in high school, or even my first few years of college. And yet here I am, actually doing them. And I don't want to miss the beauty of that.

Don't get me wrong, this path hasn't been easy. There's been a lot of anxiety and pressure that I've had to work through. But despite the imperfect starts and sometimes rocky progress, I'm doing it. I'm actually working towards these crazy dreams.

I think perhaps I hadn't let wonder and gratitude for that sink in because it hasn't always looked like I'd imagined pursuing your dreams looks like. I've always kind of pictured people with extraordinary determination, hectic schedules and ten phase plans as the types that pursue their dreams successfully. But maybe I'm doing it too, in my own way. I'm learning and I'm growing and slowly but surely, I am getting there.

This season I'm in- this wonderfully odd, strangely new, amazing season- is an important one. I know that. I can feel it even now. How sad would it be to miss that- to waste it in worry and anxiety- instead of appreciating it while its here? Tomorrow will come and life may get crazy again, in a different way. Structure and routine and clearly laid out paths may be only a fork in the road ahead. So I don't want to waste this season of beauty and meaning and freedom and yes, even challenges, while I have it.

We always look back and talk about the "good old days," but my pastors have a saying that I love and it's, "These are the good old days." What if they are? What if the season you're in has a beauty you've been overlooking? Don't miss it just because things have also been hard, like I've been. It's often in those tough seasons that we grow the most.

#christian #2015