One of my friends and I were talking today about our lives. Even though we are both 26, we still feel unsettled as if we’re waiting for life start. We dream of traveling and going to NYC fashion week and finding God as a ashram in India a la Elizabeth Gilbert and taking sick days to go to Turkish baths. Finally I said “I just want a beautiful life”. And my clever friend replied “But Sarah you already have a beautiful life“. She listed in detail all the beautiful parts of my life: my family, my friends, my career, my apartment, my success. In a sudden moment of clarity I realized that I had all the ingredients for a beautiful life but I wasn’t mixing them together. I had sat them on the counter and started waiting for the butter to soften (aka symbolizing me losing weight). It’s amazing how easily we are distracted by the parts of our life that seem incomplete and miss the beautiful parts that encompass the majority of our lives.
All my life I’ve felt so close to living this charmed and beautiful life I’ve dreamed about since I was a little girl. I just needed a better job, a better boyfriend (or a boyfriend at all), those pair of shoes, this purse, lose 60lbs, takes tons of beautiful pictures on Instagram (follow me @lovelyfleur86 if you are so inclined), etc. But when I got each of those items, I still needed more, I still wanted more.
Obligatory Instagram pictures!
Perhaps my perpetual desire to fill my life with beautiful things keeps me motivated, keeps me working hard, and prevents me from falling by the wayside. But in reality I think the constant wants emphasized by a lot of “I wish” leaves me feeling bitter and exhausted from chasing something I will never catch. It’s one thing to make goals, it’s another thing to be so consumed by desire that you’re never satisfied with the beauty surrounding you. Perhaps a degree of gratitude and recognition for all the wonderful things in your life help you become satisfied with your life. And just because you’re satisfied with your life, doesn’t mean there isn’t any room to grow or set goals or change your life. Being grateful and recognizing the beauty in your life, makes you beautiful and as long as you are beautiful, your life will be beautiful.
