My Compass

Regardless of whether or not you think you are lost, there are just some people who set you straight. For me it’s wrapped up in my friend, Ashley. Instantly upon talking to her I feel more like myself than ever. Spending last weekend in Seattle with her reminded me of what I already knew – there really are some people with an uncanny ability to bring you back.

Every time I talk to Ashley I feel like I have new marching orders in life. I feel slapped in the face. And I feel re-energized and reminded about the things I want, the things that are so easy to forget when we are going through the everyday motions of work, happy hour, yoga and grocery shopping. Don’t get me wrong; I am happier than I’ve ever been. But just because the last year and a half have been the best to date doesn’t mean I want to push aside things I’ve want all my life. We make choices to nurture our relationships. A brunch here, a trip there, new outfits for a holiday bash. Things add up. Time adds up. And slowly things we want to prioritize for ourselves fall by the wayside. Let’s face it, it’s so easy to spend $45 on three gin gimlets over which you talk about the memories you want to make in far away places, but how often do you actually saddle up and go there? Are the memories made over those gimlets talking about where you want to travel going to have the same impact as actually traveling? Yes and no. I’m still laughing about things Ash and I did in Europe 4 years ago. But after one too many gin gimlets, when you have a 6:00am wake up call the next day, it’s easy to forget what you talked about all those years ago sitting in the Plaza de Mina eating the best gelato you’ve ever had.

As I was thinking about “resolutions” for 2013 I found myself going back to the things Ashley and I would talk about on all those leisurely afternoons in Spain. Without even knowing it, Ashley reminds me to challenge myself and prioritize the things I truly desire. It’s something I think we all need to learn. She is more fearless than anyone I’ve ever known. She just got her first business up and running in less than two months, left the love of her life last fall to spend three months traveling Southeast Asia and has turned down jobs because they didn’t feel “right”. She’s said she doesn’t know what she wants to do with her life, yet she goes after things with such purpose that you would think it’s been her plan all along.

I am thankful to have a person who without knowing it is a compass guiding me back to those cafes in Spain where I so definitively knew what I wanted out of life. Call it childish naivety, call it what you will, but there is something very respectable about going after things with an invincible attitude. She so firmly believes she can do things that I immediately discover a new faith that I can too. It’s really impressive.