One of the things that I've been trying to work on lately is taking advantage of every opportunity that comes my way. I often find myself being too analytic and putting too much stock in weighing out every minute pro and con of a situation. Life isn't always easy, it's not always fun, and it's often very stressful. Some things in my life recently have reminded me that it's important not to impose too many restraints on yourself, especially artificial ones like being too scared to take a risk or make a choice. So for the rest of the summer, my mantra is going to be to just go for it.
I've been promising to visit a friend of mine for five years. She moved to Boston for college, and because she always came home in the summers, I never traveled up there. Now she's got a good job and an apartment and doesn't get to come home like she used to. I miss seeing her so much, but there's always been something in the way. Whether it was school, family, money, stress, whatever I never got it together to go visit. Those were all completely valid reasons at the time, but I let five years go past.
I've had a rough few weeks and she called to suggest I take a long weekend to come visit her and just get out of town. At first, I was hesitant. It was a spur of the moment decision (the trip is just over a week away!), but I suddenly realized that it was something I needed to do. I'm not in school right now, the flight times don't overlap with my work schedule, she has a free ticket voucher from frequent flier miles.
Everything fell into place. Even with all those factors, I was still ready to say I couldn't go. But with her not-so-subtle suggestion, I realized that I was the one holding myself back. With all those factors coming together, I really had no excuse; at twenty-two there is absolutely no reason for me not to go. My own super-analytical tendencies were holding me back from having a great weekend with my friend. So I said yes. Let's go for it. It's a weird, new feeling for me-- but I think I like it.
There will always be a reason 'why not,' but things on paper don't always take into account how things make you feel or what you need in your life. My decision to go to Boston wasn't one that I would have made on paper. There's always been a reason to keep me from going in the past. But it's one that I am so glad I made and something that I need in my life right now. I can't wait to get off the plane and see her, to spend the weekend eating cookies while we marathon Gilmore Girls and recite every line, and to get to see her city and embrace new places, restaurants and experiences. I'm so grateful to have a friend that reminds me to take time for myself, to take advantage of the opportunities that present themselves (like airline vouchers!) and to recognize that life is about saying YES, let's go for it.
