North, South, East, or West?

Okay, I have been marinating a new idea for the last few days. I actually thought about blogging it the same night as my last blog, but I decided that last blog needed the limelight for a little while, plus some ideas just need time to mature and fully bake before being exposed to light.

I've been thinking about life strategies recently; about how important it is to know what you want in life, and where you want to end up. Otherwise your life just turns into a huge game of dodgeball. Have you ever noticed the difference in some children's games? Like the difference between a scavenger hunt and dodgeball. In a scavenger hunt, there is a list of goals to accomplish- a toad, a marble, a red leaf, a four-leaf clover, a toenail, etc. The kids run all over creation finding their things, and when it is all over, they have accomplished something. In dodgeball, kids line up against the wall and then just wait for a couple other kids to pelt them with soft projectiles if they are lucky, hard things if they are not. The point of the game is to avoid being hit, but the players never get anywhere. They just take turns attempting to knock the heads off their friends until the teacher blows the whistle and they come in from recess.

So the real question is: do I want to spend my life with a list of things to avoid or a list of things to accomplish? Do I want to end my life with a list of "I'm glad I didn't end up like ____" or a list of "I feel proud that I am a ______ person". Ok, moment of irony- how funny is this statement: "I feel proud that I am a humble person." Hehe.

Anyway, I haven't quite finished my list, but I have a few ideas so far as to what I want in my life. And for right now, I think that I will focus on that instead of just being one more "muckraker" as Teddy Roosevelt put it. Here's some of my ideas so far:

I want to be the kind of person who welcomes people into my home and offers them a cookie and a cup of something warm to drink (or cold, depending on mood and season). I want a house full of warmth, laughter, and light. I want to fully develop the child in myself, and humor every impulse for fun that awakens in my soul. I want to own lots of toys and play with them. I want to have lots of fluffy pets. I want to be a collector of "moments of impact", where I truly make a difference in someone else's life. I want to be a great lady in the church, with many friends and opportunities to encourage, uplift, and love other people. I want to teach Sunday school and public school and contirbute in raising the next generation with a sense of purpose. I want to continue to grow myself, and become more appreciative, kind, peaceful, happy, and loving every day. I also want to be a mother someday, and raise children who have a good sense of fun, happiness, compassion, and connection to themselves and others.

I think it's important to give yourself the gift of a roadmap in this world. It's hard to keep a clear vision of where you're going if you constantly have dodgeballs running you off the road.