To Be or To Do, That is the Question

Then with one quick realization, my perspective on life swiftly changed:

"To be or not to be, that is the question."

Or, in other words:

"To be or to do, that is the question."

I can't do anything perfectly. I've been broken up with, I break up with people, begin projects I never finish, finish projects seeping with imperfections, say the wrong things, don't say the things I should say, have jealous thoughts, ruminate over regret, make choices I'm not even 89% sure about, linger in the past, stress about the future, wish my body was this or that... I can't do a darn thing perfectly.

But I can be perfect. Because being perfect is a process that each and every one of us can experience. It's not about whether or not we succeed. It's about whether or not we can stop worrying about doing long enough to realize we are human beings. We can keep trying to fundamentally change who we are (which in my experience doesn't work), or we can start living life and being.

Being, to me, means...

Taking risks. Trying. Failing. Succeeding. Reflecting. Repeating. Loving the process that is life. Loving the process that is becoming. Holding on. Letting go. Sitting still in wait. Breathing. Panting. Running. Sleeping. Loving ourselves. Loving others. Hurting. Cliff-jumping. Learning to be more like the divine creatures we are. Dating someone to figure out more about who they are and who you are. Breaking up with someone despite what others might say or think. Staying with someone despite what others might say or think. Standing up for yourself. Standing up for others. Going against the grain. Going with the flow. Taking that vacation. Keeping an open-mind. Closing out those who bring us down. Beginning an "unrealistic" project. Ending a "realistic" project. Chasing our dreams. Forgiving ourselves. Forgiving others. Sticking with what's conventional. Discarding all things conventional. Learning from regrettable silences. Learning from harsh words spoken. Making a darn decision already. Taking your time. Listening to advice, criticism, and others, but always relying on your compass of a heart. Daring greatly, always.

"To be or to do, that is the question."

And at the end of the day, the answer is the one we choose to make our reality. 

Live Like You Surf

While vacationing in California this past summer, I fulfilled the life-long dream of learning to surf.

After two excursions, a dramatic increase in salt water intake, and a pretty "gnarly" black bruise on my right thigh, I learned a very simple, yet important principle:

Live like you surf.

Here's a little how-to breakdown:

1) Face waves straight on. Whether diving beneath their surface or floating over their whitewash, positioning your board in any other way, or passively letting a wave take you will only result in being swept up and tumbled back towards shore. Similarly, in life, waves of various sizes and power will come our way. In these moments, we have but two options: let go and allow any buoyancy in our lives to lift us up and over the wave, or dive deep below the surface for a little reflective soul-searching. Knowing which path to take can be tricky, but practice always makes progress. It's also helpful to remember that no wave lasts forever.

2) Remember: All experiences work together for our good. Remember that it's all part of a whole-hearted, well-rounded experience. Every successful face plant and every shaky ride- it all contributes to our overall experience. No matter how beat and bruised your body, no matter how well you can strike hand-stand on a moving board, no matter how exhausted your gasping lungs become, no matter how many waves you catch, and no matter how many body cavities fill with salt water...remember that it's all part of the experience. It all contributes to our good.

3) Live Life Now. Not in the past or the future. Stressing about the future or clinging to the past while on a surfboard brings you absolutely nothing. Zip. Nada. Ingenting. Living life is the same: remaining in the past or constantly worrying about the future does nothing for our existence... it merely eternally postpones living a life of happiness, when you could happily live in the here and now, for eternity. Life is now, eternity is made up of the same stuff as the present- live accordingly.

4) Never give up. During surf-lesson breaks, I would watch my more-skilled "instructors" and other surf-goers take wave, after wave, after wave. Sometimes they would catch a wave, and sometimes they wouldn't. Sometimes they would immediately nose-dive their boards, sometimes they would effortlessly glide along a wave all the way to the shore. I once counted an experienced surfer make 10 of the 20 waves he took. Nevertheless, one constant remained among every single board in the water: they never gave up. 

5) Take a chance. Over-thinking will only make you a permanent bench-warmer on the sandy sidelines of life. Take a chance already. Nothing but sand crabs and broken shells belong on a beach forever. To be honest, the ocean kind of freaked me out initially: it's infinite and deep, unknowable, and its salty, powerful currents and waves induce some major vulnerability. But the beautiful experiences I had in the ocean far outweighed any fear holding me back. Go take that chance. Go catch that wave. Maybe you'll "miss it," maybe it won't go "according to plan," but there is always only one way to find out: Take a chance.

Currently on Repeat: Ends of the Earth | Lord Huron

Gorgeous lyrics and a musical composition that simultaneously calms my anxious soul and fuels my adventurous heart?

Take me to there:

Oh, there's a river that winds on forever

I'm gonna see where it leads

Oh, there's a mountain that no man has mounted

I'm gonna stand on the peak

Out there's a land that time don't command

Wanna be the first to arrive

No time for ponderin' why I'm-a wanderin'

Not while we're both still alive

To the ends of the earth, would you follow me?

There's a world that was meant for our eyes to see

To the ends of the earth, would you follow me

Well if you want, I will say my goodbyes to me

Oh, there's an island where all things are silent

I'm gonna whistle a tune

Oh, there's a desert that size can't be measured

I'm gonna count all the dunes

Out there's a a world that calls for me, girl

Headin' out into the unknown

Well if there are strangers, and all kinds of danger

Please don't say I'm going alone

To the ends of the earth, would you follow me?

There's a world that was meant for our eyes to see

To the ends of the earth, would you follow me

Well if you want, I will say my goodbyes to me

I was a-ready to die for you, baby

Doesn't mean I'm ready to stay

What good is livin' a life you've been given

If all you do is stand in one place

I'm on a river that winds on forever

Follow 'til I get where I'm goin'

Maybe I'm headin' to die but I'm still gonna try

I guess I'm goin' alone