At the end of a very long road, bumpy, laden with hazards too many to list, and capable of disabling the most seafaring of vessels, I took a chance and hitched a ride traveling another route to a different destination. One sweet deal later, I headed south.

I had, for my entire life, lived deeply in a life that wasn’t really mine, immersed in an image of who I was, an image cultivated by others, by people who hadn’t a clue on how to direct their own lives much less mine. They said with alarming authority, “Diana you are this. Diana, you cannot do that. And good Lord child, you most certainly must not believe that.” Without effective tools,
breaking free from that stranglehold was almost impossible. Almost.

I struggled with my lines, tangled as they were. I sailed in seeming circles until navigating by the stars made sense. I questioned the necessity of brightwork. But in the end it all made sense.

And when it did, I took my life and ran. And while I’d like to say I didn’t look back, the truth of the matter is that I did – for a while, in the beginning. I don’t understand how, we as human beings, cannot look back even briefly.

Two years into my journey, I began to see a vision for my life that prompted me to look forward. Only forward. And all those old hurts and unfair judgments, they just slowly faded away, became invisible. Invisible.

I’ve given and given and then given some more. And while that may have been good for that time, back then, when life was different, it doesn’t flow smoothly anymore. Now my journey consists only of my adventures and how to create a life for myself that’s even better than it’s already been. And it’s a sweet life.

I live at the beach in a delightful house. My possessions are few, my friends are many. I’m on a spiritual journey now. I’m loving life, loving it deeply, for the first time in my life. I hang out at the beach and write my book. And I know deep within the fiber of my being that it’s only going to get better with each sunrise.

A few months ago, late into the night, I came upon a realization which had me questioning how much time I had left on this earth. As I contemplated whether to drive myself to the hospital or even I could even make it to the car, or the door to unlock it for an ambulance attendant, prudence got the better of me and I penned a quick note to my daughter.

In a telephone conversation earlier that day we’d been talking about lives and our respective goals and dreams of our lives as we saw them.  Feeling compelled to offer one last (or so I thought at the time) piece of advice I scribbled a few thoughts in the pad I keep on my nightstand.

I love you, you’re a good kid, I’m proud of you, were the first things that came to mine but the most important I saved for last. Profound yet simple, it consisted of three simple words:

Chase your dreams.

I invite you to chase your dreams. Without them you have nothing but a dull life adrift with tangled lines. If you feel trapped with no escape at least write them down and tuck them someplace for safe keeping. You’ll be surprised at how much power lies within this one simple act. It just might be the catalyst needed to send you down a new path, on a new journey to a rich and joyful life.

It did for me. Next week marks one year since I moved here to South Florida. My dog Buddy and I will go on an adventure to some beach somewhere because most of my really good stories start out with the words,
”I was on this beach…”

   



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Copyright 2009 Diana Taylor, Pug At The Beach
Photo credit: Diana Taylor