Do you remember the "Chicken Soup" books? They were "stories of life, love and learning" compiled into different volumes for different demographics (Dieteters, ocean lovers, gardeners, and pet lovers are all represented in their extensive list of titles... yowza!). I definitely had several volumes of the ever-so-poignant Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul books. Sometimes (okay, perhaps most of the time) the stories were a bit cheesy and contrived, but sometimes they were very applicable and inspirational. I found one such uplifting excerpt from the book Bittersweet that my darling friend, Tati, put on her always entertaining blog a couple months ago. Several of its points hit very close to home for me, and definitely encourage and challenge me. Perhaps it will do the same for you. :-)
THIS IS THE THING: WHEN YOU START TO HIT TWENTY-EIGHT OR THIRTY, EVERYTHING STARTS TO DIVIDE, AND YOU CAN SEE VERY CLEARLY TWO KINDS OF PEOPLE: ON ONE SIDE, PEOPLE WHO HAVE USED THEIR TWENTIES TO LEARN AND GROW, TO FIND GOD AND THEMSELVES AND THEIR DEEP DREAMS, PEOPLE WHO KNOW WHAT WORKS AND WHAT DOESN’T, WHO HAVE PUSHED THROUGH TO BECOME REAL LIVE ADULTS.AND THEN THERE’S THE OTHER KIND, WHO ARE HANGING ON TO COLLEGE, OR HIGH SCHOOL EVEN, WITH ALL THEIR MIGHT. THEY’VE STAYED IN JOBS THEY HATE BECAUSE THEY’RE TOO SCARED TO GET ANOTHER ONE. THEY’VE STAYED WITH MEN OR WOMEN WHO ARE GOOD BUT NOT GREAT BECAUSE THEY DON’T WANT TO BE LONELY. THEY MEAN TO FIND A CHURCH, THEY MEAN TO DEVELOP HONEST, INTIMATE FRIENDSHIPS, THEY MEAN TO STOP DRINKING LIKE LIFE IS ONE BIG FRAT PARTY. BUT THEY DON’T DO THOSE THINGS, SO THEY LIVE IN KIND OF AN EXTENDED ADOLESCENCE, NO CLOSER TO ADULTHOOD THAN THEY WERE WHEN THEY GRADUATED COLLEGE.DON’T BE LIKE THAT. DON’T GET STUCK. MOVE, TRAVEL, TAKE A CLASS, TAKE A RISK. WALK AWAY, TRY SOMETHING NEW. THERE IS A SEASON FOR WILDNESS AND A SEASON FOR SETTLEDNESS, AND THIS IS NEITHER. THIS SEASON IS ABOUT BECOMING. DON’T LOSE YOURSELF AT HAPPY HOUR, BUT DON’T LOSE YOURSELF ON THE CORPORATE LADDER EITHER.- SHAUNA NIEQUIST IN “BITTERSWEET”
xoxo,
at
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ReplyDeletep.s. i had my fair share of the chicken soup books as well. loved em.
I don't necessarily agree... I refuse to accept that life in the late twenties is so black and white, and that 'taking a class' or 'walking away' will solve the problems of emerging adulthood. This advice seems a little bit too self-gratifying for me.
ReplyDeletei definitely dont think 'taking a class' or 'walking away' will solve problems of emerging adulthood either, but the points it makes about not 'staying in a job you hate because youre afraid to get another one' and not 'staying with a man or woman who is good but not great because you dont want to be lonely' are very poignant. (to me, at least).
ReplyDeleteThanks for the post - I can really appreciate this quote! Like Annie, having abandoned all and boldly moved westward fueled by nothing but a positive outlook and a pocketful of ambition, it's hard not to see people a little differently sometimes.
ReplyDeleteWhen I meet new people, it quite often seems most of them fit into these two categories:
A) People who complain about their lives
B) People who do something about it
And then of course, there's everyone in between or outside of those lines, but it is just so refreshing that San Francisco seems to be disproportionately full of these type-B people. Maybe all fabulous American Destination cities are. Mary, NY? Annie, LA?
Keep up the great bloggin<3,
Amber!