doing something

Earth Shattering

Samantha Gratton

As I lay on the couch surrounded by tissues and cold remedies, watching yet another documentary on Netflix, I am guessing you are not jealous at all of my “adventures.” Oh yeah, let’s also remember to add the fact that I am currently searching for a job. Living the life.

Okay, so maybe my life isn’t awe-inspiring today. Despite a move without security, some bold decisions and my proximity to the mountains, here I am, struggling to breathe out of my nose. Impressive, huh? Maybe paying the bills and doing dishes is inevitable. So succumb to the mediocrity? No. But don’t be inhibited by it either.

I think sometimes we can let passion and excitement get away from us. We start dreaming of greatness and impact. The vision can seem so clear in our minds. It’s awesome, too. We need that vision, that drive, that passion. But when life throws something more mundane our way, we can get completely thrown off track. For some, that means not ever dealing with the chores and responsibilities of life in order to keep on towards the dream. For others, it amounts to being bogged down so much by the monotony that we lose sight of the dream. Both are terrible pitfalls.

We have to fight through both to achieve anything. And the word is fight. It can’t happen without insane effort and perseverance. I’m also of the belief that it can’t all happen at once and it can’t all happen (more on that later). There’s going to be lulls and there will be peaks. But I truly think that consistency makes all the difference. The continual push, the major and minor decisions. Keep pressing forward.

What does it matter?

Samantha Gratton

Lately, the hubby and I have been on a total documentary kick. We’ve always loved them, but I think we’ve watched somewhere near 15-20 in the last month or so. It’s getting a little excessive but somehow, each time it gets going I can’t help but get sucked in. There’s something about them that make you want to take over the world for good or at least commit to doing something absurd for a little while, just to try it.

We’ve watched ones about top ballet dancers under the age of 20, what it means to become “Santa” in the eyes of others, bike riding through the continental divide, using Craigslist to live and create community, what makes a man a man when it comes down to body hair and all sorts of others. Tonight, we watched No Impact Man, which was about living off a sustainable environment and giving up things that created waste and poor energy usage. They made a lot of sacrifices but also brought on a lot of new and exciting experiences.

Throughout it all, you’ve got to wonder…what REALLY matters? Is it washing your clothes in a bathtub and forgoing packaged food? It is setting a challenge of physical strength and endurance and fighting through? Is it restoring the magic of Christmas? Is it saving the turtles? Going gluten-free? Adopting ten children? Wearing your retainer every night?

While these all might be good things for you to do and commit to, you can’t do it all. It’s not possible. These documentaries often showed what people gave a major portion of their life to. What’s the cause that really matters? Why should we care about any of it? Should we continue to stand by while a few people put their dreams to the test?

I am always a “late bloomer” with resolutions/goals, as I tend to set them sometime between January and February. But these are some of the questions I am considering while I create my list. To wrestle with what’s worth it, or even what’s more important…