You know how people say “life is short,” all the time? Well, it really hit me this week. A person I had a massive amount of respect for, passed this past year. I’ve witnessed some incredibly strong women break down, pick each other up, rally, and move sh*t forward amidst overwhelming grief. It’s been pretty inspiring and so f*cking sad.
It made me think of friendships later in life and truly, truly embracing life – mess and all.
Small is Good
My circle of friends is small. The individuals I rely on in a crisis can be counted on one hand and maybe part of the other. It’s such a relief as you get older to stop putting so much effort into the wrong people; you can know a lot of people and respect them, but it doesn’t mean you need to be besties with them. Stop feeling pressured to be everything to everyone. Find the people that love you at your worst and will kick your ass to get you back on track. Mine? They call themselves the Bode of Directors.
Invest in these relationships; they’re important. They are your community and family.
Get Dirty
Our pitbull Lucky exudes joy. Everything he does, he’s happy about it – getting chewed on by Joey the Doberman, rolling in dirt, digging under the fence, throwing dirt after he pees…dirt is his jam.
Our lives are messy, so so messy, be like Lucky and embrace it…hell…roll around in it. Nothing will ever be perfect, and there will never be a right time for something. You’ll always find an excuse not to do something. What if, instead, we sought reasons to do something and stopped delaying life cause we felt guilty for whatever reason?
Here is my request: be like Lucky, embrace the mess, find the joy in it, and be grateful for every single day. Life is short, so damn short.
Cabin Life
I was reading Ann Handley’s most recent newsletter, which is great, by the way (subscribe here), and she was telling everyone to get a tiny house. I think you should buy a cabin – better resale value. Now, you can take both our advice, or it can be metaphorical. The point is, find your zen, your happiness, your clean air – the place you can breathe. It’s about putting yourself first; call it self-care or therapy – it doesn’t matter where or what it is. What matters is you’re taking care of you.
Let me recap – life is short and messy, and that isn’t going to change. Find joy in the mess and buy a cabin.
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