Friday, August 15, 2014

The "In Basket" of Life


I live in two worlds.  One is the real world, the place where reality must be faced.
We all live there.  That place where the mortgage and insurance premiums must be paid.
As an adult one has certain responsibilities and we face them head on whether we want 
to or not.  It's the bargain we face to be independent and live the life we choose.



I am thankful that we have never had to face an obstacle we could not overcome
and to be quite frank, we have faced some very big ones.   But life should be 
more than just fulfilling the obligations.





Suppose you had an "in basket" for your life sitting on your desk.
That in basket would contain room for one's typical obligations but
that basket would also have room for hopes and dreams.  The requirement
would be that during your lifetime you must get through that entire
"in basket".  Nothing must be overlooked.



How deep would your stack of hopes and dreams be?
If you were going through that "in basket" today, keeping
in mind you must be forging through that stack on a 
daily basis, what could you remove from that stack and
say to yourself ~ "I've done it"?



What have you done this past week that brought you
one step closer to checking off the hopes and dreams 
in that basket?  

Those hopes and dreams should be just for you alone.
Remember, no obligations in that stack, those have 
already been met.  Only your very own dreams that don't
need to impress anyone but yourself.  Maybe it is 
travel.  Perhaps some artistic endeavor.  It really does 
not matter what it is, just that it is important to you.





As responsible adults we tend to forge through the 
obligations and often we are too tired to focus on our 
hopes and dreams.  Life happens, we get consumed in it.
I am suggesting that we spend a bit of time focusing on
the obligation to one's self to grow and explore and take
the time to fulfill those dreams whatever they may be.
I love the following quote from Picasso ~

Every child is an artist.  The problem is how to
remain an artist once he grows up.

I have a long list of hopes and dreams.  I better get
busy on my own "in basket".

It's Friday!  Have a wonderful weekend everyone!!


Big Texas Hugs,
Susan and Bentley







12 comments:

  1. What a beautiful post, Susan. You have hit on a subject that is very close to my heart right now. I, like everyone else, tend to what has to be done each day with no energy left over for dreams or personal goals. Your beautiful photos, accompanying your commentary, gave the post such a calm and relaxed feeling. I almost feel like I could get to the bottom of that proverbial basket. Thank you. laurie

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    1. Thank you Laurie. After the recent passing of my mother I have been reflecting on how precious and fleeting life is. We all get so caught up in responsibility and while I am not suggesting that any of us shirk our duties, we all need to make time for fulfilling long term dreams. Have a great and fun weekend!

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  2. I truly do not have a long list. I would love to learn graphic design. I am living my dream of writing everyday in the platform of blogging. I would like to move out of this big city someday. I would love to be able to have a steady income so the worries wouldn't be so great. That's about it.
    Brenda

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    1. That's a great list! I think you will be a fabulous graphic designer. You have such a good eye for color and styling!!



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  3. My basket would be filled with if I could live parts of my life over. Not possible, but strive to not make the same mistake twice.

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  4. Interesting post, Susan. I can't say that I have a list. I think we all come to junctures in our life where we make decisions and take one road rather than another. There are things that I dreamed of doing that didn't happen, but now is not the time for me. I'm happy and content with my life in retirement and honestly don't have any regrets. I'm still exploring interests and hobbies, still traveling, and very much enjoy each day as it comes. ;-)
    Love the quilt tent. How did you make it?

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  5. You have such a healthy attitude about life. Sometimes dreams don't happen or evolve, but to be happy and content in life is the greatest joy. What more can one ask for? The quilt tent was very easy to set up. I took an antique quilt (it was only out for the photo shoot) and tied a rope between two trees and strung it up. I used a grass beach mat for the floor and filled the inside with comfy pillows. The lantern is one of those solar lights on a hook. It was lots of fun to create!

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  6. What a lovely post, very refreshing and I love your photos and styling, thank you for sharing. #saygdayparty

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  7. Dear Susan. What a "thought full" post. It's always a challenge in life to make time for those things that are important to our well being. In the busyness of obligations it's easy to lose oneself. I'm glad that you're going to take time to pursue some things that you really want to do. This week I started a painting on canvas. That's something I've been thinking about doing for a long time.
    What are some of the things in your in basket?

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  8. A beautiful post today. My basket has overflowed over the years and I always seem to take care of the extra. I'm retired and my basket is smaller but more thougtful. We have traveled to places this past year that we have always wanted to visit. My basket had some lists for organizing my home and those are being checked off daily. Feeling good today about my life.
    Ann

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  9. The mental image you conjure up is a sweet one, Susan. My in-basket is overflowing - I'll never lack for ideas for good times!

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  10. I love this post, Susan. I am in a difficult time in my life now. My mother has dementia, and our days are not easy. I am always praying for patience and endurance.

    I do have some much anticipated things in my in basket, and I hope to check some of them off my list one day. Right now I spend a lot of time at my computer working on our family genealogy. I started when I was only eight years old, and here it is fifty-four years later, and I am still going strong.

    Happy Pink Saturday, dear Susan.♥

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