“Life isn’t about finding yourself, it’s about creating yourself.” – George Bernard Shaw

There are people out there – lots and lots of people – who have it going on. Not to sound too hippy dippy, but there is an aura about them that I envy and so when I am lucky enough to cross their path I carefully take note. Sometimes it’s the house they’ve created for themselves – all old beams and soft stone, down blankets, and crayola colors. Messy but creative and comfortable and gorgeous. Other times it’s a poise that they maintain and an energy that they radiate, less tangible but equally impressive. It’s the straightness of their back and the sincerity of their smile. And still other times it’s the sound of their voice when they talk to their children, the coolness and the calm and the intention with which every decision is made and every word is uttered. The laughter that erupts seals the deal.

Some days I feel like I’m on a scavenger hunt, only I don’t have a list of what I’m looking for. I just know it when I see it and I file the memories, the wisdom, the look somewhere deep knowing that it will surface eventually. It’s like shopping for the soul, picking up pieces here and there – notions of how I want to parent, reflections of the inner peace I hope to resonate, corners of a space that I plan to recreate.

Time and time again I am lucky enough to cross paths with these people and every time I am stopped dead in my tracks. It’s not that I want to be them, it’s just that they are doing something really well and I can’t help but notice. Overwhelmingly captivating, I am content just to hang about, as if by some stroke of good luck I might absorb whatever they’ve got through osmosis. Somewhere out there is the intersection of that which is innately me and exactly who I want to be and each of these encounters enthralls me deeper in discovery.