From “Julie’s Gems”: November 2002

I was having a conversation w/ a couple of women a few months ago, and one of them asked me if it was hard dealing with the fact that I would be 30 soon. I told them that several years ago I was having a tough time knowing I would be 3 decades old in a short amount of time, and yet I was no where I thought I would be at this age. But then I recognized that I had to make peace with where my life was and the direction it seemed to be taking. I did some serious soul searching and realized that I was meant to be at this particular place in my life whether it seemed stagnant to me or not. So that’s my topic this month, not just to bore you with a personal story. I am always encouraging you not to give up and to strive to live up to your full potential, so telling you to make peace with you life as it is, is not a euphemism for giving up. It is my way of reminding you all to be thankful for what you have. And of course, what better time to be reminded of such things than in November! It’s always important to follow your dreams, but sometimes they are not meant to be reality, and it’s during those times that we must make peace with our unfulfilled dreams, less we drive ourselves crazy. That doesn’t mean you should quit dreaming, but to learn to concentrate more on what you already have and less on what you don’t. I had a friend that was so obsessed with improving his life that he could never be satisfied with what he already had. It was rather sad that he could never find contentment. I feel like I’m not making sense and being oxymoronic, but I hope you can figure out what I’m trying to get across. Be happy with what you’ve been given, and don’t be consumed with what everyone else has that you don’t. Really stop and think about all you have and make November 28th a true day of giving thanks!