Mariposa Kisses (aka Dianne's Blog)

"Just go for it" is my new motto. Why not? Life is so short, so there's no reason to hold back from your dreams, passions, and your god-given talents. If you were to die tomorrow, wouldn't you want to know you gave this life your best shot in every area? I would want to know upon looking over my thirty-three years of life that I was committed to getting the most out of each and every day.

In psychological terms, one observes a response mechanism called "fight or flight". If you are faced with a threatening situation, you either stay there and fight or you put on your sprinting shoes and flee the scene. I experienced this with surfing awhile back. When a huge set of waves surged in, the response was either to fight it and catch one of those big gnarly looking waves or to duck-dive under them at their calm point, escaping the thunderous crash. Since I'm not very good at surfing, more of an observer of the ocean's magnificent beauty and power, I usually opted for going under the wave with the leash attached to my ankle.

In life though, you sometimes have to fight, rather than taking flight to its dubious set of circumstances. Why not charge it? Frequently we shy away from certain situations because that option makes the most sense. After all, avoiding imminent danger seems like a good and rational choice. But, what if by fleeing the scene all the time you were actually suppressing a big part of who you are?

You can't always be an observer. Sometimes you just have to charge it, even when the outcome might mean failure or crashing painfully to the ocean's dark and ominous floor. For those glorious waves that I did catch, the adrenaline was pumping and I felt wakeful and empowered. By engaging in life's adventures while making daring and less than perfectly safe choices, you feel alive and confident.

Taking risks doesn't have to involve life-threatening measures. Thankfully, you can feel thrilled by pursuing a passion, like singing karaoke in front of a group of strangers. Maybe you've always loved singing and felt called to be in a band, but somehow never got the courage to go for it. Why not now? You're too old, right, a mom with three kids? You're analyzing that this doesn't seem kosher for someone who puts diapers on the baby and who decides between tuna casserole and Hamburger Helper for dinner, right?

What about that beautiful butterfly tattoo you've been contemplating for the last decade? Why not now? There won't ever be a better time than the present because you won't ever know what tomorrow holds. Will you even be here? Of course, your friends and family hope that you will be, as you of course do as well. However, you can't ever know the duration of your short life here on earth.

It's time to get a little bit crazy. Now, by this, I don't mean out-of-control irresponsible. But, I do mean, a bit out of the norm, pushing the envelope, wild beyond your normal disposition. If you don't change it up a little bit now, you might regret certain decades when you come to the end of things.

Why not dance your heart out at that upcoming wedding where most people will be too intoxicated to care what you look like anyways? Give the compliment to that nice person at the drive through. I recently made one woman's day by telling her, "You're a blessing to me because you're always so friendly". I think I even observed a tear in her eye.

Taking risks is a part of life, but many of us suppress those urges. My twin sister does a great job at taking risks. She meets new people on a weekly basis. She leads the Bible study at her house as a single career woman. She works in sales which is a daily adventure and a financial risk. Likewise, she orders bold and artful foods. She changes it up a bit, asking for steamed baby carrots instead of broccoli as a side dish; also, she'll order her soda with half diet coke and half Dr. Pepper, even at the expense of getting a smirk from the waiter. Why not, it's not like that's hard to mix up? She's worth it and so are you.

I've gone too many years of my short three decades trying to please other people, ordering the easy thing on the menu. I've always hated putting others out, but that's going to change. I'm worth a little inconvenience and I'm going to order what I want, even if it's half a sandwich with a few slices of onions and only one red pepper from Subway. If you're not even eating gloriously, how can you go for the bigger things in life, like running through the rain without an umbrella? Shouldn't you consider planting a bed of flowers all in your favorite color, rather than a rainbow of them just because that's what the neighbors do?

Wear what makes you feel amazing. Sometimes we opt for the t-shirt and jeans routine because it's coziest; however, that blue and black shirt with the ruffles makes you feel alive and energized. You should wear that one so you have a little bounce in your step. This applies to fun jewelry and outgoing lipsticks as well. And when it comes to hanging out with your significant other, you should kiss him like you really mean it. Don't let him guess how you feel about him. Cranking up the passion in that department makes you feel more sure as well.

As moms, we frequently settle for easy, cheap, and plain. That's not what I want as a summary for my eulogy. No way, I want someone to describe me as daring, adventurous, and vivacious. We can spread this enthusiasm with our friends and family members as well by encouraging them in their own lives. You can emphasize to a friend how beautiful she looks in a certain color or how a sister's eyes look intoxicating when she wears red. Maybe that's all she needs to feel a little bit more audacious in her own life.

Sometimes we just need a few inspiring words to spark up a fizzled out dream. Maybe your neighbor loves playing guitar but never really pursues it as a formal interest. What about printing out the junior college's music schedule for the upcoming semester, so she can feel supported to live out her passion. You could buy a language book for your aunt who keeps talking about how she wants to learn French. Or, you could do something as simple as buying some gardening seeds for your mom who wishes she had her own organic garden at home.

Life is so short. As moms, we know this as we see our kids graduating each year into the next grade. We also see the war wounds of newly present wrinkles and stretch marks on our own bodies. Let's make this an exploratory and sizzling season for us as well. We need to go for our dreams and live out our passions on a daily basis. Do one thing for yourself today that celebrates who you are. You are beautiful, special, and incredibly talented. Let others see that in you today. They'll likely envision a brighter smile upon themselves as well.