Carry On

As the song of summer slowly winds down and the leaves begin to paint themselves and scatter, it gives everyone a chance to reflect on good times with friends and family, vacations, and the hustle and bustle of work. We turn our calendars to the fall season and realize that another year is meeting another end. Right around Labor Day and the start of another school year, many families take one final vacation together to spend time they might have missed due to camps, work, pool parties, weddings or other things. My family was part of that demographic as we backpacked through the Diamond Peak wilderness of Central Oregon last weekend. I hadn’t hiked in a while, much less while carrying all that could fit tightly in a camping pack. It was during this trip that I realized the things that we all must “carry” in life as we move forward.

Your “spark”.

Like I mentioned in my last post, the things that make yourself unique and drive you forward always will remain with you through life. Sigmund Freud founded the study of psychoanalysis, and believed that one’s personality is formed in the first few years of life, and then it will progressively mature as the brain ages. I don’t know if I believe exactly that, but I do think he’d agree that we all carry our own spark and passion for certain things, but we must do all we can to feed the flame in ourselves and in others so that we may grow.

Your dreams.

My first real job was as a summer camp counselor at age 18. I slept in cabins and teepees with my campers most nights, but we’d always have at least one night a week where we’d hike to a destination and sleep under the stars. There’s always a huge meteor shower toward the end of the summer and I can still remember watching all the “shooting stars” and being completely amazed. Our worlds (both physical and personal) are so microscopic in comparison to the universe as a whole, and sometimes it feels like our dreams are impossible to attain. The thing that I’ve learned about that, is that distance of light-years to the nearest or farthest stars will remain the same if we don’t try to reach them in the first place.

Your creativity.

Life can get really rocky and rigid if we don’t look outside the box and take it in from a different angle. Turning the world upside down can be incredibly scary if you’re so used to doing things only one or two ways. However, even if it’s baby steps, creativity can help ease the pressure of stressful situations, get organized, build confidence in our abilities, and keep us reflecting that life is an ever-changing experience.

Your patience.

Sometimes it feels like we carry the weight of the world on our shoulders. That feeling comes from responsibilities and relationships for the most part. Our responsibilities might include bills, work, health, while our relationships can center on friendships, family, and partners. That’s a lot to handle all at once, and it can get overwhelming. It’s ok to stop and take a breath every once in a while. The hills and mountains we all climb are different, with peaks and valleys in contrasting places, and we need to take breaks and possibly unload unnecessary baggage. This is not to say that all responsibilities and relationships are unimportant, but holding on to things that should have been let go of a long time ago weighs us down and keeps us from reaching our next phases of life.

Your memories.

All experience, whether we have them once or two hundred times, are once-in-a-lifetime. It’s important to look back on these adventures to remind us of who we were and who was also there to help ensure a positive and supportive path was always ahead. Of course we as individuals have our own experiences to reflect upon, but life is partly shaped around the people who want only the best for us, and who will continue the journey with you no matter what tomorrow brings.

I hope you all carry on through the end of this wonderful season, and move forward with me, wherever life goes next!