Sailing with Destiny

Today, I read a quote someone posted on facebook: "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." -Mark Twain

Seize the day! Live your dream! Be who you always wanted to be. And don't let anything get in your way. That was my philosophy when I was discovering who I was when I was a teenager. It's the philosophy I still struggle to shrug off as I adopt the phrase posted to my Blog title: "Life is what happens while you're busy making other plans."

I think if you have blinders on, you can carve your life the way you had in mind. Someone who is so determined and goal-oriented and wants everything to go as planned -- someone like me -- would have a hard time with detours like Love and Family. Those things weren't factored into my plans. At least, not the timing. In my plan, they were supposed to occur after I went to college and started a career. But that didn't happen and I unwisely continue to look back wistfully. I know it taints my present circumstances. For all I know, the other road would have led me down a path less desirable. And with all the opportunities I turned down for this one, I know the one I have now is more valuable.

If I had chosen to dance the night away or travel the world or earn my degree instead of holding on to the man I loved and creating a family, oh the love I would have missed! And if I tried to do them at the same time as having a family, oh the treasures I would have missed! Funny, had I sailed away, I probably wouldn't have been disappointed by the things I didn't do (marrying him and having a family) because I never would have known what I missed! It wasn't in my dreams, but sometimes reality can be better than dreams. So, Mark Twain, in all your widely acclaimed philosophy, I think you are wrong. Besides, I'm still young and when my children are grown, I might still have the opportunity to dance and travel and go to school.

I just need to remember to be patient. Hold fast to the bowlines till your passengers are safely ashore before you catch the trade winds. If you are too anxious to steer your own course, you might miss Destiny and all the adventures that await.