To live. To dare. To care. To stand for something

I remember reading, a very long time ago, that our life could be seen as a novel, and that when we were in a part of the story that was difficult, it was useful to stand back and remember that it was but a chapter of the story.

While life at that moment might have felt extreme, the challenges seemingly insurmountable, to remember that soon, in a time not yet determined, the page would turn, the chapter would end, and a new episode would begin.

Great novels, great stories, are the ones that have massive peaks, exciting turns, seeming impossibilities to overcome. They keep us hooked because we do not know what will happen. 

A life of smooth sailing, absent storms, filled only with sunshine and roses, is not the story we want to be told, nor perhaps the life we want to live.

We want the daring adventure. To read of those who risked it all for something they cared about. Who set their vision towards an unknown shore.

As Helen Keller said. Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.

To remember this when times seem hard. To remember to seize life with our whole being. Take it all on.

We do not need to create drama or be drama. For to do so is to be in turmoil without going anywhere.

But to live. To dare. To care. To stand for something. 

This. 

All. The peaks. The alleys. Joys. Sorrows. To celebrate it all.

May 18th 2020

Photo taken May 18th, 2020