Present Over Perfect

growing herbs and lettuces, driving down roots, literally and
otherwise.
We get to decide, which is both so freeing and such a
beautiful responsibility. You can be a vegan. You can be a
priest. You can homeschool. You can train for a triathlon.
You can live in the city. You can read the classics. You can
buy all your clothes from a vintage shop. You can buy a
Vespa. You can learn to speak Farsi or Italian.
This life you’re building is entirely your creation,
fashioned out of your dreams and fears. What do you want?
What do you love? What ways of living have you simply
acquiesced to, because someone told you to? Because it
seemed smart or practical or easy? Are those the best words
to describe how you want to live?
If I’m honest, I let words like responsible and capable
govern many of my years. And what good are they? Words
that I’m choosing in this season: passion, connection,
meaning, love, grace, spirit.
The world will tell you how to live, if you let it. Don’t let
it. Take up your space. Raise your voice. Sing your song.
This is your chance to make or remake a life that thrills you.
This is what I see: the men I know have very few
questions about who they are, what they want, what they’re
offering to the world, what they’re not. Frankly, that
certainty, I think, holds its own challenges, but for the most
part, is a gift.
Most women I know, myself certainly included, have
struggled to find our own footing and calling and voice. I’m