Guest Author - Stacie Harris-Williams

“Life is what happens while you’re busy making other plans.”- John Lennon

This quote is enough to make even the most compulsive goal addict stop and think. I must say that I have been guilty of jumping on the train to somewhere and having my ticket to the next place burning a whole in my pocket before I reached the first destination, metaphorically speaking. Most of us (if we are truly honest with ourselves) must admit that much of who we are and feel we must become has been shaped by our external world –family, community, society, and religion. We feel that we must fulfill the many self-imposed and societal expectations to truly be successful. Unfortunately these expectations may in fact distract us from the magic that is available to experience in our everyday lives.

This quote makes me question how much of our lives we are truly present for. I mean really present with our mind, heart, and spirit. How is it possible to show up fully to embrace life while participating in the mundane rituals that we so often find ourselves consumed with? For me, life changes such as having a baby and developing my spiritual sense over recent years allowed me to step back to examine what I truly want for my life. When it comes down to it, those abstract things like peace, happiness, fulfillment, and abundance far outweigh chasing the tangibles of life. Similar to Lennon’s quote, Ringo Starr titled his eighth album “Stop and Smell the Roses” which conveys the same message. Now I make a point to notice every butterfly, and vibrant flower along the way.

So does this insightful quote mean that we abort all elements of our lives that resemble structure or a plan? Shall we throw caution to the wind and all fly by the seats of our pants as a way of life? I would say no. Here is where that cliché and sometimes overused term “being centered” comes in. Another way to describe this state is being balanced. In other words, make reasonable plans for your life but do not become so rigid that you do not notice and enjoy the parts of your life that are truly sweet.

So today I challenge you to SEE what you have not seen before during the course of your day. Start small, smile at a stranger, take your shoes off and walk through the grass, tell someone that joke that you thought was too corny to repeat, have lunch outdoors, or try that new little Mexican restaurant that you were convinced that you had no time to try. You will be amazed; there just might be something in it for you.