"Taking The Long Way"?

I truly believe that if we listen carefully enough, the universe is providing us with all the answers, information and messages that we need. The forms that these messages come in however, are often unexpected and/or unconventional.

Take for example, the last week or so of my life... In some ways, I think even my getting sick and bedridden was a way for the universe to get to me to slow down enough to take some much-needed time for reflection and evaluation, of where I am at, and where I am headed. Throughout the last week or so, I have found myself asking myself, over and over again, the oh-so-important questions of:
What are you working towards???
What is/are the ultimate goal(s) that you are working (so hard!) to achieve?
And are you working hard at the right things in order to achieve these goals???


I truly believe that I needed both the wake-up call from my body (Hello! Remember to take care of me too!!!) in order to take the time, to find myself asking these questions.

The answers have come in interesting forms as well...

Naturally, I have done a lot of thinking, and a little bit of writing, about these questions and have found myself reaching my own, intellectual answers. I have also had some random, yet important, conversations with friends that have led me to some interesting answers. And these conversations haven't necessarily been directly related to my internal questioning either.

No, these conversations have moreso taken the form of long-overdue check-ins with best friends, old friends, new friends and even "business" meetings with Tracey! In fact, after our meeting last night, TES sent me a somewhat random email that quoted a wesite called Genius Press (www.geniuspress.com), which provided me with a much-needed reminder, that I wish to share with you, my dear readers, as well...

At this time, I wish to remind you (courtesy of Genius Press) that...

(Among other things), You are a genius!
You are one of a kind. What you love is what you're gifted at. Your talent is coded into your genes and filters everything that has happened in your unique history. You have original vision and that makes you a genius. The only way to feel satisfied is to listen to your own nature; in other words, to do what you were born to do!

And... It's time to rediscover your dreams and put them back on that table!
There are dozens of practical, realistic ways to make every dream possible...

Self-helpey? Yes, absolutely. But still worth listening to? I think so. And I feel like these were words that I really needed to hear at this point in time, to remind me to keep my own dreams on the table, always.

And so, in the interest of using this online journal of mine as my "table", and recording my dreams & goals for myself and for the universe to bear witness to, here are my dreams and goals, both grand and "small", as of today...

* To move to New York City by January 2008
* To make a living working in theatre and education
* To write and publish my book (about grief, and grieving as a "young person")
* To live in Manhattan (one day, at least)
* To own a house and a dog (one day...)
* To make a positive impact on someone else's life
* To be a foster parent (one day...)
* To be able to take care of my loved ones, when they need it...

You know, it's funny, but looking at those things in writing, well... They don't really seem so un-achievable to me, not at all. In fact, that list appears totally manageable to me!

So there you have it. I've recorded it for all to see... My dreams and goals at this point in time, mid-way through my 26th year of living on this planet, from my home in Toronto, Canada.

And I'm okay with "taking the long way" to achieve these goals, if the long way is as The Dixie Chicks describe it in their song... ;)