Tim’s Note: In Carole’s last letter, she asked the question, “Why can’t I have a conventional life and be satisfied with that?” A good question and well known writers have thought about similar questions.
The psychologist Abraham Maslow wrote, “One can choose to go back toward safety or forward toward growth. Growth must be chosen again and again; fear must be overcome again and again.”
The ancient Greek philosopher Pythagoras offered this, “Choices are the hinges of destiny.”
The author Malcom Gladwell added, “Truly successful decision-making relies on a balance between deliberate and instinctive thinking.”
In this letter, Carole searches for her decisions about how to live her life.
MY LIFE:
COMFORTABLE, SAFE
OR
CHALLENGE, ADVENTURE?
From Fishing for Courage by Carole Gibb
Dear Mary,
I keep thinking about this kid I saw in the grocery store a few days ago. He ran down the aisle away from his mom, laughing. But when he got to the edge of some invisible zone, he stopped, his face scrunched up with worry, and he ran back to grab her leg. But a second later, off he went again, his eyes on the distance.
It makes me wonder if some of us are inclined to live our entire lives this way. We push into new territory, get uncomfortable and run back to the familiar. But then, something inside won’t let us stay comfortable. New territory beckons.
I’m at the Juneau airport, hoping to get back over to Pelican. My flight’s on hold because of the weather. We’ll go if the pilot decides to go.
I thought if I ran away from Pelican, I could run away from chaos and disruption, and surprises. I thought life could be tidy and go according to plan, all I had to do was turn my back on all the things this place stirs up in me.
But it’s no use. We want what we want.
It’s possible I’ll never bear down and do the work of writing a book. I worry about that, believe me. I fear something in me is deficient. Maybe I’m not strong enough to stay the course, or even have a course. Adventure is easier for me, in some ways, because it’s what I’ve done before. I’ve never written a book before.
I’m not sure how long I’ll stay. I guess until my bank account (or my sanity) becomes a concern, at which point I’ll scoot back to Juneau and regroup. Like the kid in the supermarket, running back to safety.
I’ll keep you posted.
Carole
CREDITS:
Writer: Carole Gibb
Photographers: Carole Gibb, FreePik
Graphic Designer: Tim Olson
Editors: Lorelie & Tim Olson
NESTER url: https://notesfromanester.com
To read Carole’s Alaska Letter 10 previously published – click here
