Happy Wednesday,
How is everyone today? What a beautiful day. It began with some rain, which is much needed here in California, followed by some sun peeking through those clouds. Love days like this. I hope you are all staying warm and safe while our weather gives us some much-needed rain. Plans for the weekend? Drop me a comment, I’d love to hear from you. My plans? John and I have afternoon shenanigans planned for Saturday with our amazing San Diego friends, followed by a late lunch/early dinner with his parents on Sunday.
Yesterday I was invited to join John’s mom at her church ladies’ group and what a wonderful bunch of ladies. I was honored to be able to join them and hear all about the things shared in their quaint little group. Some of these ladies go back 50+ years being a part of this group and better yet as being friends. Amazing to think about the bond they share. All of us would be so lucky to have friendships like these.
Each and every one of the ladies was so kind and many whom I was able to talk to afterwards invited me to join them again. I look forward to my next visit.
I wanted to talk to you about being the pilot of my own life and what it means to me. I wanted to make sure what I wrote about made sense to you and was really how I felt about the topic.
Being the pilot of my own life has a few different meanings to me. Basically, what I’m feeling about the topic is this, the decisions I make are hopefully based upon what will make me a better person, not only for my own wellbeing, but for those around me. those in my life.
My friend Leslie recently gave me some sound advice. She told me that I need to focus on taking care of me first, then I will have more to give to others. She also told me to focus on securing a safe haven for myself, so I can be at peace. She also reminded me to focus on the now and not get too overwhelmed or consumed with the future. Living in the moment and taking one step at a time to ensure I’m doing what I can do to have a sense of security in my own life.
As many of you know, I’ve been battling some pretty major issues in my life, many of which I cannot control. What I can control in my life is how I react to situations and how I navigate my own path before John and I can finally become one, united completely.
We have so many obstacles in our way right now, but together, I am confident we can conquer them all. In the meantime, though, I need to embrace piloting my life, so I don’t spin out of control. I need to be the pilot in my own life and take care of me, not only physically, but emotionally and medically.
I can pilot my life towards the direction that John reminds me every day of. He knows my passion, my desire to become a published author. He knows how important writing is to me. How lucky am I to have a man that helps my talent flourish. The title of this blog is based upon his inspiration to me today.
Yesterday I was privileged to hear a woman’s story of a struggle she’s facing. She’s independent and in good health, yet she’s chosen to live in an assisted living apartment. I applaud her for embracing her new journey in this life. She’s her own pilot. You see, she doesn’t seem to need to live in an assisted living, not right now anyway, but she did make the point that if she needed someone, they are available to her. She is taking steps now while she can ensure when she is ailing, her plans are in place.
I appreciated her bravery in telling her story and I appreciated even more that she is making her own decisions based upon her life, her age and whatever else she chose not to share. You see, she’s her own pilot in life. I admire that quality, even more now that John and I talked. I can’t control certain things in life, my life, yet I can control how I react to things. I can control what I do on most days, and I can control my choices. Oh, some choices are hard to make, and some are definitely made out of haste, but if I’m mindful, I can be more in control and pilot my life accordingly. I can work towards being independent all while having the man I love and adore by my side.
Funny, John and I had a talk about this the other evening. I had told him that I wish he would make more of my decisions and while he said he would if that’s what I really wanted, he encouraged me to think. He’s helping me see the importance of trusting in myself all while having his support. I can’t think of a better way to love someone then to give them the tools along with encouragement and a loving hand to pilot their life.
I came out of a very controlling marriage a little over six years ago and John is so opposite of my ex. When John and I first started dating, I was so not piloting my own life, I was flapping around, barely holding onto whatever life I had and one evening, as John and I walked up to our nearby Chili’s, John asked me some pretty difficult questions, he listened to my answers all while encouraging me to dive deeper into my thoughts. He helped me navigate through some pretty difficult issues. On that night, we talked for hours and since then, we’ve continued to talk. He understands my triggers and is always there to encourage me to continue working through them while helping me pilot my life.
“She was happy. She lived for herself and enjoyed her own company. They called it loneliness. She knew it was freedom.”- F.E. Marie.
In order to pilot one’s life, I believe it’s important to first be happy with ourselves and be able to sit in our own alone time. Not everyone alone is lonely. Many prefer their own company and that’s a wonderful thing. Being able to be happy when sitting alone. One thing I’ve never done is eat alone, I mean at a restaurant, not sure that’s something I could or would do. I’m okay being alone and I’m okay sitting and having a cup of coffee or reading a book while at the library or at the park, but going out to eat, yeah, I still prefer to come home and eat with my pup or when John and I are together, of course having a meal with him is always the best.
Piloting my life looks amazing, yet I still tread lightly. I still have fears yet, I’m excited to see where my next adventure lays. “Be the pilot of your life, fly where you want to go, in the unlimited sky of your own world.”-NatuRe.
I’ve been listening to so many wonderful books lately, 15 to be exact since Jan. 1. I finished the book Shunned, by Linda A. Curtis. Her words were so inspiring to me. I could feel her pain of being shunned by her family for not sharing in their religious beliefs anymore. She walked away from the religion in which she was raised, however, while feeling the effects of being shunned and missing her family, she chose to be free, she chose to pilot her own life and her story conveyed just how happy her life has been. She’s given me the courage to continue on my journey, even if it means being shunned by some in my own family.
I am the pilot of my life. I have dreams, I have desires and I have a vision for where I want to be. I deserve to be a priority in my life, instead of just an option. You deserve to pilot your life too. Together as a community we can lift each other up and encourage one another to stay the course. You know, the best of pilots needs to change course due to certain circumstances, so that tells me, it’s okay for us to re-examine our flight path.
Piloting life is definitely a lot of work, but aren’t we worth it, worth the work to ensure we have the best life. I think so. I am working on giving myself permission to have a voice and to have thoughts that are mine, I’m accepting my flaws and trying not to repeat mistakes. I am working on promoting myself to captain, piloting my own life.
Well guys, I need to head out and pick up some medication. I do hope this blog found you well and until next time, Love Life++
Love Life with Dawna 