Friday, August 8, 2003

Oops! Forgot to write anything of real substance for today.

Which, perhaps, is good, as so much is going on in my life. I suppose I’m best served by shifting into Immediate Update Mode until my life slides back into a less turbulent phase.

I stopped by my parent’s house last night to swap out my truck for their SUV. It’s a Nissan Pathfinder, a good, solid SUV that doesn’t dominate the road like an angry moose (*cough*Suburban*cough*), but does provide a good balance between cargo space and passenger space. Perfect for Saalon and my trip to Otakon.

We talked for two hours about my parents’ latest clerical crisis – I swear, it’s like we can’t find a single church that’s fair – and the stress I’ve been feeling about Otakon. My Mom made an excellent point about it, that I was living too much in the future. I was trying to get so many things assembled properly that I was spending all my time living there in the future. I should be spending more time in the present – not all my time, but more time – focusing on what needs to be done today.

It was remarkably refreshing to hear those words. True. And no matter how many times we tell ourselves these things, it means much more when someone else says them.

I then stopped by the library and grabbed a few books, all of them just books that caught my eye on the shelves. I dove into The Game by Sarano Kelley, which not only affirmed what my Mom said, it excited and invigorated (sp?) me in ways I didn’t expect.

Here’s the idea: Pretend your life is a Game for 90 days. Your life isn’t a game, of course, but just approach your life as though it is one. The book provides a framework for identifying areas in your life you want to improve, goals for improving (how to “win”), and the rules you’ll follow. Then, play the game.

I’m impressed mostly by the book’s humane and empowering nature. It’s not about making people “successful,” it’s about making them better, more authentic people. It’s simply remarkable.

Arg. And I feel like I’m writing a dry book review, when I want to get across the magic of this thing. I feel literally changed after having read most of the book. I can’t wait to start playing. I’ve already made some significant progress, in terms of just doing things.