Struggle. Balance. Dreams.
It’s about balance
We ended “Up through the dirt” -which you can read here– talking about how our struggles in life aren’t wasted. As I’ve said before, I think life is always going to be a struggle to some extend. Whether it’s from choices of our own, the horrific things going on in this world- like this story about a young man who lost his rights to his child because of his ex-girlfriend hiding the pregnancy from him- read about it here, or social media/news/etc that weighs us down. There’s always going to be something we’re struggling with. Mentally. Emotionally. Spiritually. Financially.
Yes, there are solutions for all of those things. They might not erase all of the hardships but they can help. If we are willing to put in the effort. However, that doesn’t mean it’s not hard going through it. I’m not going to lie to you. Personally, I have been struggling recently. In a lot of aspects. Chalk it up to growing pains. About 90 percent of that struggle is finding balance.
Dreams change
It’s true that seeds push their way up through the dirt, darkness, and cold. It’s true eventually they bloom into a beautiful flower. But not without the right balance of sun, water, and air. Which by the way looks different for every seed. But how to find a balance when there are so many dreams to achieve? When there are so many everyday tasks that get in the way?
Everyday tasks like eating and sleep, cleaning (yuck) will always be there so the best thing you can do (in my opinion) is to meal prep and prioritize your time. I have a calendar that I list all my events/chores on. I have another one for goals. That doesn’t mean I’m the best at following through but I try. Having a reminder helps me.
As for dreams… Gosh, I have so many of them. To have dreams is not uncommon. To be disappointed by what you thought you wanted is not uncommon either. Like how in Disney’s, “Tangled” Flinn’s dream is to steal a bunch of money and find a private island where he can live alone unarrested. But then he meets Rapunzel and he realizes she’s his new dream.
A real-life scenario: I always dreamed of moving out and moving away the moment I turned 18. I wanted my freedom. I wanted to feel like a real adult. I’ve always been extremely independent. It took about another 6 months after I turned 18 for me to be able to move away. After it had been a little more than two years of being away, my dream changed to staying within an hour of my family.
What’s most important
Nowadays, I strive to remember what’s really important in life. If a dream lines up with that then I work on that dream first. Of course, I have dreams that are purely for my enjoyment or on my bucket list just because I want to do them someday. The trick is to not let selfishness get in the way of what’s truly important.
For example, I would FREAK if I ever was able to travel the world. It’s something I’ve wanted to do for as long as I’ve been alive. And that would be an amazing opportunity to see and experience new cultures. Open my eyes to new perspectives. Generally, become a more well-rounded person. But in order to make sure that didn’t get in the way of what’s most important to me (my family, safety, etc.) I would make sure I have a way to communicate with them, that my guy could tag along, that our fur babies and home would be taken care of, and if any kind of crazy life event happened, heaven forbid – cancer, a death, etc. – I would come home.
Obviously, that’s just an example. In actuality, it wouldn’t be that easy. Finding balance in life hardly ever is. With every struggle to find balance in life we face, we have the opportunity to refine ourselves. But I promise your struggle is not wasted. There’s great purpose to it.
Keep on chasing your dreams. Try to find that balance. No matter how hard or endless the struggle is, keep on pushing up and through the dirt around you. Someday you’ll look back at all the progress you’ve made and realize almost without even noticing you’ve bloomed.
-Kay
