A Night To Remember

I’ve come to the realization that it’s actually impossible to plan an authentic life - it’s only possible to be authentic and watch as your authentic life manifests around you.

Susan Piver
from The Hard Questions for an Authentic Life

We had ourselves a very quiet New Years this year.  I’m two days past one of the wildest intestinal bugs I’ve ever had, and Randy’s smack dab in the middle of the bug boogaloo right now.

Despite the quivering, quaking queazies, we managed to watch WALL-E (great flick) while cuddling on the couch grateful simply to be together.

Ah well: so much for all those plans for a chipper 8^th Wedding Anniversary/New Years Eve…

Now, if that sounded like it might have been cranky or resentful, it wasn’t.  Really.  Because when I say, ‘so much for our plans’ I’m wearing a bit of a Mona Lisa smile.

See, the last 8-odd years have taught us that goals, objectives and plans - even when they do work out - don’t necessarily turn out to be all (we thought) they’d crack up to be.

Nor does holding to our way of doing things guarantee the results we’re most looking for (Jon Swanson’s brief but brilliant Nice or Necessary post says this best).

But the stuff that ‘just happens’ - that we simply couldn’t conceive, envision or anticipate on our own - when we’re just being us always works out WAY better.

And often a lot quieter, softer and sweeter too (including getting the flu over the holidays).

When you think about it, who really needs flash and fantasy when the solid truth of love and deep friendship (not to mention the anticipation of another new year’s promise) is - all on its own - so much more?

Which kinda begs the question: just what is it we’re after when we’re busy trying to make a moment great instead of just letting ourselves experience and enjoy all the nuances of greatness in the moment itself?

Really. What do you think it is?

P.S. The sweetest of Auld Lang Syne’s to you and yours!