Making Magic

Another thing that always happens to me at the end of summer: I instinctively feel like I should be going back to school. For this reason, to me, September has always seemed to signal new beginnings—sharpened pencils and clean notebooks, transitioning wardrobe and weather, evolving classroom subjects, different people and fresh ideas. From an early age, we naturally start to brace for change in the fall, and though it’s been nearly 8 years since I have been a student, old habits die hard.

The trouble with being goal-oriented is, eventually you reach a point where the goals aren’t as formulaic as they once were. After high school, it’s college, after college it’s a job, after a job it’s usually marriage, quickly followed up with a new house, and a few kids. All nice achievements, of course, and all milestones that I will undoubtedly pursue for myself in the coming years. But, where does personal growth fit into the mix? What do you do when you’re at a crossroads in your professional and/or personal life, when you can’t see how all of these disjointed pieces fit together in a way that could ever allow for the kind of healthy balance that you seek?

Very heady and possibly overwhelming thoughts for a Friday, I know, but I’m choosing to use them as a gentle reminder that nothing is static. Change is inevitable and, actually, it’s usually within our control.  In other words, when life becomes mundane, unsatisfying, or just plain confusing, we all have the opportunity to get outside of our respective comfort zones and see what we can make happen.

I may not be going back to school this year, and I may be marveling at how quickly time passes when I’m not making life-shaking plans, but I’m not going to let that stop me from hanging this simple drawing up in my office as an encouragement to boldly take risks and see what becomes of them.

Seize the weekend!

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