The Right Questions

I soooooo have to pack! I did an insane amount of laundry today, and most of it is sitting on my bed in piles. Hate to break it to all you loyal readers ;) but I will be on vacation all next week. But that doesn't mean that I won't be writing about my AHA - and trust me, there should be plenty of AHA. I will just have to take copious notes and catch up electronically when I get back. Which will be July, by the way. And I know that when I started this whole AHA thing, I said I was going to make June a happy month. To be very honest, this has been extremely therapeutic for me. Plus, I've gotten quite a few positive comments from friends who have read it, so I don't think that the end of June means the end of my Moments of AHA!

This blog, in and of itself has become a fairly significant AHA. I get to step back from the events of the day and really scrutinize what I did and how I interacted with others. And as I go through the day, my brain is constantly searching for moments that lead to some sort of deeper understanding. Sometimes it's easier than other times to spot these moments, but more often than not, when I sit down at the end of the day and actually start typing, I really have no idea what's going to come out. Which is part of the beauty of all this, I think. Even if you don't know me very well, if you've been reading this right along, you could probably say you know me quite well.

For 30-something years I just kind of went through life. Don't get me wrong, I've had a very good life. No silver spoons on silver platters, but still a very good life. But I don't really think that I ever took the time to reflect on what happened throughout the day or week. And I don't mean, "I went to school and Jimmy made fun of me today," or "I bought 6 boxes of cereal at the grocery store" kind of happening. I mean what REALLY happened. Who did I connect with? Did I upset anyone? Could I have acted differently? Did someone hurt me, and why exactly? What is the underlying meaning of the things that took place throughout the day? That's the stuff that really affects us, and it's also the stuff that most often gets overlooked. Which is unfortunate, because it's also the stuff that helps us grow and change as people. I only wish that I had been able to come to this conclusion quite a long time ago. But, as I've been told many times, we can't change the past, we can only move forward. So that's what I'm doing. Moving forward. Making a better, more aware me. Allowing myself to change and improve, and hopefully bringing some others a bit or two of knowledge that they may not have had before.

So, back to packing. See the photo compilation up there? That's where I'm headed. The most beautiful, serene, peaceful, soulful place on Earth (at least in my humble opinion). I'm getting goosebumps just thinking about being there. I get to sit and listen to the wind rustling through the trees, the water gently lapping on the rowboat, the pine needles sprinkling to the ground, the voices and laughter of my beloved family echoing across the lake. This place is home to me. If there was ever a place where you could do absolutely nothing and be completely surrounded with AHA, it is here.