Seeking Free-Spirits

So this past year has been less than fun for me. I am working on changing that in the current year. This is the year of me - I'm reading more, watching more, doing more, and loving more. And I hope that by changing me instead of putting all of my energy into changing everybody and everything else, other things will change in turn. On one particularly hard night in December I was at my sister's when she grabbed "This Book Will Change Your Life" off of her bookshelf. Needless to say, I was intrigued and immediately reminded of how much I enjoyed the Post-Secret books and Milk, Eggs, and Vodka . All I knew in that moment was that I could use a life change :)

Click here to order

I began thinking: maybe we don't need to let our happiness be dependent on having enough money, or a secure job, or the companionship of a spouse, or the esteem of friends. Here's a novel concept - why don't I rely on me to make my own happiness?  You may be wondering how a $13.37 book translates into making my own happiness. You may also be thinking that sounds pretty silly/stupid/fill in your own adjective. Maybe your right and maybe I am.

But the point is that I'm using the book as a jumping off point. A way to get me out of my own way. I'm trying to be more open to possibility this year. I'm hoping the book will help me push my boundaries, face fears, find new avenues of excitement, and revisit old ones! 

This could be a total bust. I could throw in the towel by page 5. I might do some things too half-ass for some people's liking. I could end up embarrassed or embarrassing others (I can already see my mom shaking her head...lol). But, oh well -this is me. The same girl who in my late twenties seriously considered taking horse back riding lessons again, the same girl who has been unsuccessfully trying to learn Spanish for the past three years, the same girl who bounces from one grandiose idea to another, and the same girl who still wants to join the peace corps and travel the world. But I love who I am and I figure that if something truly every tragic happens to me and I end up as a feature on Dateline, that in that segment where they interview people who knew me best, it is likely that the following descriptors may be used:  'dreamer', 'romantic', 'escapist', 'spirited'.  All things considered, not such bad identifiers. I think Jack Kerouac would agree - one of my favorite quotes by him reads:

"The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn, like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars..."

I don't know a whole lot of what the book contains as I stopped skimming through it as soon as I decided to try it (which was immediately). The actual ordering took me a little longer as I wanted to complete viewing all of the movie suggestions friends offered up on the blog first. I am trying to improve my completion rate where blog lists are concerned...ha!

If you may just be willing to let go, and let chance why not join a few others crazy enough to do the same (or maybe I will end up being a camp of one - that is okay too!)

March 20 is the first day of spring which brings thoughts of new beginnings, rebirth, metamorphosis. It also leaves enough time for book delivery :) Here is what I am proposing - order a book in the next week and on March 20 let's start with page 1 and chronicle our collective experience in following the suggestions given in the book.

If interested in this social experiment, please first become a follower of the blog so I can easily @people. I will have a new post each day where I scan the page of the book we are on and people can post their experiences in the form of comments. Please post pictures and/or videos of whatever escapades this book leads you into via my blog's facebook page. 

Oh, and a little post-script here - I think there might be some fine print in the book regarding liability should one be arrested, divorced, married, , re-married, broke, etc.