day 6!
After reading this prompt, I had some mixed feelings. I do very much advocate doing things that make you feel alive, because if you never feel alive, really, what's the point? At the same time, though, not everything life-affirming has to be of the skydiving variety. Sometimes there's a much more quiet, private feeling, of being slowly filled with joy until you're sure that you're glowing with it-- for me, personally, that trumps a thrill any day. I get that feeling when I'm walking around the West Village on a weekday morning, when it's quiet and just waking up. And when Marissa and I start talking about our trip to Disney last summer, we do talk about what a great time we had running from one attraction to the next, but the memory that comes up most fondly every time? The night that we decided to stay in, swim in the pool, and order pizza and watch Mean Girls. Sometimes 'feeling alive' happens from a thrill, sometimes it happens from contentment.
I do believe in living an extraordinary life. But I think the meaning of 'extraordinary' varies from person to person. The same thing goes for 'preparing to live.' In some instances, preparation is necessary, like in the day 5 prompt-- studying isn't the world's most exciting pastime, but it's so I can have an incredible experience later. I guess the important thing is to make sure that you actually do the thing that you're preparing for.
♥
I enjoyed this post very much. I especially like the statement "Sometimes 'feeling alive' happens from a thrill, sometimes it happens from contentment. Being disabled, I cannot take too many physical 'thrills', which I have learned to accept. My 'feeling alive' definitely has to come from the emotional thrills that are available, which are not always quiet!! Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
ReplyDeletePeace, Nico
Thank you so much for your comment-- I'm so glad you enjoyed the entry, and I'm flattered that it resonated with you. ♥Julie
ReplyDeleteI love that you mention that an extraordinary life varies from person to person - it's such a simple concept, but I have never heard someone put it so eloquently. And I agree - contentment is more vital to me than thrills any day, although I find people who I can share a contented moment with are the ones that thrill me the most.
ReplyDeletethank you so much bryce ♥ and it's so true, people who understand the thrill of contentment thrill me to no end!
ReplyDelete