So I turned 40 on Monday. Aside from the obvious metaphysical thrashing and writhing that that day held for me, and in conjunction with recent events that just seemed to materialize in front of me, I have come to the following conclusion. This is nothing new, but worth mentioning. I just don't want people to think that I'm passing this off as my own. So here it is, in all of its cliched glory:
Follow your dreams.
It's pretty simple, really. If you care enough about something to go for it (read publishing here, but it really applies to a variety of life's big and small challenges, too), I mean really go for it, then follow it to the end. Obstacles materialize, they always do, but the dream worth voicing is the dream worth going to the mat for. As far as I can see, there's nothing more crushing than getting so close to your dream that you can see it, but, because of the obstacles that are thrown in front of you, you opt to give up. Despair is such a negative, defeating emotion. It really says that all you worked so hard for was really not worth it at all- it was too hard, too sad, too exhausting.
If it is worth voicing, it was worth following to the end.
No matter how hard it all seems, the payoff is in the achieving, and, therefore, worth the risk. A friend once said that it seemed pointless to be walking around like a corpse, undead, unfeeling. Thise people never seem to go after what they want, what they dream of, and are content to live in some gray, emotionless world. I know I don't I want to be there; I'm willing to risk. But with the risk of going after the prize comes the risk of the pain- rejection, alienation, failure (the temporary kind, of course). In the end, it's all worth it. With great dreams come great risks, and the chance for great failure...
But there's also the risk of success beyond your wildest dreams.
Follow those dreams. Don't let despair weigh you down. Fight, scratch, claw, and slam your way through. It will be worth it in the end.
Happy birthday to me.
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