Art socks and gooseberries!
Good morning (okay, it's evening now, it took me three days to formulate this post!) folks! Firstly, some housekeeping: you might have noticed (or not) that I've returned to blogger. This was for a few reasons, primarily that blogger is free and I'm entering major saving-mode for my MA in September (exciting, eh?), so I rationalised that the money for Squarespace wasn't really worth it. Secondly, I find blogger a lot easier to use (probably because I'm used to it...) and I think it's nicer for you guys.
Anyway, housekeeping over and time to focus on something I've been thinking a lot about recently - life and its many winding paths, and how the indecisive human can traverse these paths safely and happily. I have a few ideas, which make up the titles below. So, let's give this some thought! I apologise also if this post is a little lack-lustre, I'm super tired from holiday and am having a smidge of a bad time with my mental health. But anyway, I hope this helps someone, or at least makes interesting reading.
Mr McGregor's garden... Dare you enter?
Keep Your Options Open
I believe in some kind of higher power, maybe you do too? But I also hold the belief that there is no one 'right' path for any one person. There is no such thing as a static 'destiny' aside from the one you hold in your own hands. Therefore it can be incredibly valuable to keep your options open and remain aware that you can change course at any time. Don't like your job? Find something different! (It's not always that easy, I know, but it's definitely possible).
Keeping options open can happen in a few different ways, the first of which I like to think of as 'the crossroads'. The Crossroads scenario occurs when you're unsure of which path to take, there might be two or three different options, all of which are attractive, but you just can't decide. In this case, I would go for all of them, apply for the job, the degree, the placement, and see which one falls best into place. Let the fates decide which one will work best for you, because the best option will work out most easily. Use your intuition to decide the rest, it should feel right.
Another way keeping options open can be played out is by using 'give it time'. Can the option be done later with little to no difference made to the outcome, minus the result being slightly later? Is it a decision/option that must be made/taken immediately? If not, then give it time and see where you are a few years down the line. Time is the water of life, it smoothens the ragged edges of indecision.
The final way to keep options open is to simply let the opportunities come to you. If you're into the Law of Attraction, this might be the most attractive option (pun intended!), life brings us what we need and washes away what we don't.
Jenkins Crag!
Nothing is a Coincidence
Met someone new? They're opening a door. Nothing is coincidental in my mind (as in 'in my opinion', though I'm sure no thought in coincidental actually in my mind!). The fates have funny ways of taking you down a particular path. I'm a strong believer that certain doors open at certain times for certain reasons. Therefore a set-back is not actually something to be disappointed with, but rather a nudge in a different direction.
The tides of life might take you into dark and deep waters, but the shallow warmth remains exactly where it always was, and the tide will take you back there. God, I'm getting way too into these attempts-at-deep-analogies... I apologise.
Letting go of the wheel enables you to admire the view
Once the desire to control every element of your life has been surrendered, you can enjoy the smaller things that make you happy. The trees are just as important as the forest. Ultimately, no one actually has the power to entirely control where their life goes. Life throws curveballs and unexpected things happen, but we can be in the here-and-now and live authentically and fully knowing that we are too small to control everything.
The scenery is beautiful as the passenger, but the driver has very little time to appreciate it. Be a passenger for a while and trust that the fates have your back.
Letting go of control is no mean feat. But! I have learned a lot by doing just that. I applied for a few different things and saw what fell into place best, namely an MA and a part-time job. They fit well and I'm looking to take some steps and make some changes so that pieces fit together even better. You can make changes and still let the fates decide, it's just about relinquishing that desperation for things to go a particular way, and instead letting things happen without falling into deep rumination about it.
A weird owl from Beatrix Potter land... Owls are wise, right?
Not easy, but worth it, eh? Let me know what you thought of this particular ramble in the comments and I hope you'e all well and thank you for reading this blog post. I appreciate your support. Also, I hope you enjoy the pics from my holiday that colour this post. I enjoyed it and I got a lot of perspective by taking a step back from life. Much love!
Over and out!
Instagram: @jumper.dweller
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