Well, it’s getting late in my little corner of the world, and the snow is falling ever so gently. It’s really quite beautiful under the moonlight sky – until tomorrow when I’ll need to clear it off my car that is.

It’s been a super busy week for me. Work has a way of doing that, as you undoubtedly know.

Aside from work, I had a diagnostic mammogram on Wednesday….

It all started last Friday when my daughter messaged me at work to let me know the doctor himself  (you gotta love small towns) had called, urging me to come in with regards to my first mammogram. Apparently his secretary had left a number of messages, and when I didn’t respond, he took it upon himself to call. I have a great doctor, and I suck at checking my answering machine.

So, I made my way to his office around 4 p.m., and after what seemed like an eternity, he told me that my mammogram had come back abnormal. In other words, they saw something that needed further investigation.

It was Friday – I was tired and hungry, which means that I didn’t ask any questions. I was also a wee bit too surprised. I’m not sure why, but I’ve always considered my mammogram appointments little more than a nuisance. It never occurred to me that something would show up – I know…I know.

Right about now seems as good a time as any to mention that this post isn’t about eliciting your premature sympathy or concern, but my take away from the experience. I’ve never believed in worrying without due cause. And right now, there’s no reason to worry whatsoever. I’m so not there yet, and most likely will never get there.

However, (and I’m thinking this is normal) I was confronted by my own mortality for the very first time, and the truly fragile nature of humanity.

We’re all just guests on this beautiful planet. Our time here is short. Ultimately, it’s up to us to make of our time what we will. And we can either count the days, or make each day count. I think I might’ve just quoted myself.

But whatever – the message is true. As the saying goes, why put off for tomorrow, what we can do today? Tomorrow is never guaranteed.

Again, it’s up to us to make the most of today. It’s up to us to look within our hearts, and follow our dreams. We can’t expect someone to do it for us. That responsibility and freedom can only be ours. Everyone else ought to be too busy following their own dreams.

That said, I think most of us are guilty of the someday syndrome at some time or another. We get so caught up in the every day, we lose sight of our hopes and dreams. Eventually we forget that we had any, and become complacent – going through the daily motions.

I suffered the someday syndrome for years. Once I realized my dream of becoming a teacher, I kinda just stood back and went with the flow. I completely forgot that I had once loved to write. I let life get in the way. Sound familiar?

Then a few years ago, I wasn’t getting a whole lot of calls for work, so I had more time on my hands than usual. I caught the idea of trying something new. You know what they say about idle hands…

After some digging, I remembered my love of writing as a teenager. So me being me, I started writing with YouTube as my first sharing platform.

Each video was a slideshow complete with images, music and my writings. They were bloody awful and represented a lot of work. I don’t regret a second of it though – like all failures, it was a valuable learning experience.

When I decided to try a different platform, I came across WordPress, and never looked back. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in starting a blog. You will soon find yourself surrounded by amazing and supportive fellow bloggers.

Well – to make a long story short, a dream began to take shape. I wanted to publish. And as you know, I’m finally following that dream. My book is coming along by the way. Slowly but surely – surely being the operative word. I usually set small goals for myself. Dreams need goals to become reality – with small goals being more easily attained, and less intimidating.

There will always be a thousand demands on our time, and a thousand distractions from our goals. It’s up to us to make time for what’s important. Do we really need to scrub the floor today? Do we really need to spend that much time on social media? Do we really need to spend three hours watching Netflix? It goes on and on.

We must answer those questions for ourselves. What’s more important? I try to find a healthy balance based on my own priorities. Once I’ve achieved a goal, I’m happy to spend time on other things like reading my favorite blogs.

Of course, there will days when all we can do is keep up. And those menial tasks have to get done sooner or later. Life will also throw us curve balls. The key is not giving up. The key is getting back on track when you can.

We need to keep moving toward our dreams – even if we can only take baby steps sometimes. Each step brings us further from where we started, and that much closer to the finish line. Our dreams require a long term commitment, so it’s O.K. to pace yourself, as long as you’re still moving forward.

There may be steps backwards and challenges along the way. It’s all part of the journey. Each step backward, and each challenge is an opportunity to grow. Embrace it. Give yourself a pat on the back once in awhile. You deserve it.

∼∼∼∼∼∼∼∼∼∼

©Brenda Baker ~ Caffeinated Ramblings 2107

Until next time, be kind to yourself.