Writing Life, Literally

Have you ever had a life-altering experience? I’m not talking about that time you looked in the mirror, decided it was imperative for you to lose 10 pounds and went on a frenzy throwing away all the junk food in your house and dedicating yourself to only drinking smoothies and working out twice a day.

No, I’m talking about a complete reevaluation of your life. What’s important to you. What you want to do with your life. Your legacy. Where you want to live. Who you want to impact. The process of manifesting all of these things.

We’ve all seen people who seem successful in achieving this reevaluation and execution process. Come on , don’t leave me hanging out here alone; I know I’m not the only one who’s watched House Hunters International and been mildly jealous, but more so intrigued. I mean, what are these rich bastards made up of that they have the guts to actively pursue their dreams?

Well, the good news is, I’m finally living one of those moments. Brought on by a writer’s retreat in Costa Rica, not only did I fall in love with the beautiful country, I fell in love with crafting my life. Decided I want to live in different places and support myself through my writing; new experiences feeding my art and in turn, my art providing different layers of understanding to the new experiences.

This isn’t one of my, “Oh, I’m tired of my co-workers and job,” rants. This is me admitting I’ve known there’s more for me than just the daily grind and saying that I’m tired of putting my life off. Making excuses like, I’ll have what I truly want in due time. Of pacifying myself with things others have said I should want: the latest phone, wardrobe, things to temporarily fill the hole in my soul left from not feeding it what it truly needs - creative stimulation.

I’m no longer focused on designing an environment where I can thrive, I need to encounter the world and find beauty in it. And as I prepare, I’m pursuing interests I’ve always had but got too bogged down to pursue. Guitar. Photography. Quaint coffee shops in which to write. I’ve become the stereotypical artist. Living an artist life. Surrounding myself with like-minded people. Heck, if I could find an artist compound, I’d probably move.

This lifestyle makes me happy because I’m doing most of what I love and I have intentions of doing even more. And even though I have no idea how things are going to pan out for me, I’m okay with that for the first time in my life. Right now, my plan is to simply write myself to wherever I’m supposed to be.