nothing | The Jen West Quest

Last night I had my monthly Drinks with Debbie, and it never fails to be so rewarding for my soul. I love hearing her stories… they cross a wide gamut of feelings and topics. She makes me laugh, think and smile. There is always so much to catch up on, even if it’s only been a month since our last date. After we wrapped up, she invited me over to her house to meet her two new kittens – Rojo and J Clyde (after two popular restaurants/bars in B’ham). They are about 7 weeks old and completely adorable. We talked for a little bit longer on her porch as the sun set over Birmingham, as she’s got one of the best views in the city. The perfect ending to a great evening with a dear friend. If you haven’t already, you should check out her blog here. I hope that she considers writing a book or play one day…as she has such an interesting and humorous perspective on life in general.

I was talking with someone recently about the pressure to “do”, and how what we’ve done or plan to do somehow defines who we are. While I think that accomplishments can certainly provide a snapshot of a life, there is just so much more to us than that. I know I have a lot of self-applied pressure to do what I consider to be big things – like write a book, make films and complete crazy physical challenges. I wonder sometimes though why I feel like I have to accomplish these things, and would my life be any less enjoyable if I didn’t? Actually… I think so, and it’s because I really want to do them. The real issue here is that maybe we don’t put enough emphasis on doing nothing at all. Why isn’t relaxing a priority? When you write a goal list, or see someone else’s, why isn’t exploring or having adventures usually included? Recently I did write a list that included things that were fun, and as I read it to myself in the mornings my heart gets the most excited when it comes to those items. I think that goals shouldn’t always be a challenge or super hard to attain. Maybe, instead, they should allow you to just be yourself.