Don't Go Through Life, Grow Through Life

Every day, I get inspirational quotes from California Psychics. Somehow I ended up on their daily inspirations email list. I don’t even believe in psychics. But I like their quotes because they do the trick—they’re inspiring. And they give me something to write about. Like this one, for example:

I love this because, everyone, at one point or another in their lifetime, just “goes” through life like a zombie. They get up, get ready for work, come home, eat, watch TV, and go to bed. That was me and my husband, Leon, for many, many years. We were just going through the motions. We did get out for vacation once a year—a camping trip over the 4th of July to one of our favorite camping spots, the Sawtooth Mountains near Stanley, Idaho. The other time we got out was during the months of October, November, and December so Leon could hunt. I was not a hunter, but I went along because I helped cook for the hunting party.
 
—->Learn how you can grow through life here<—

I worked as an administrative assistant for a state government agency while he worked for a major corporation as well. I worked Monday through Friday, from 8 to 5. He worked Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and had every other Wednesday off. We always had Saturday together. Do you think we’d try to find things to do on that Saturday? No, we stayed home and watched John Wayne movies or NASCAR racing. We didn’t take our eyes off the television for most of the day, and when we did, it was only because we had to drive 45 minutes to Boise to get groceries for the week. While in town, we would occasionally eat out because it was late and we were tired. Besides, I didn’t want to cook dinner because then we’d be going to bed with full stomachs, which is not good for you.

Are you just going through life at a ho-hum pace? Wouldn’t you like to “spice” it up a little? By that I mean “grow” through life? Do something meaningful? I would like to leave a legacy behind for my kids and grandkids. And I am doing that now with my writing. I am planting seeds so that they, too, might grow through life rather than go through life without any significant meaning or purpose.

I believe everyone has a purpose in life. I believe God has given us all a gift. My gift is writing. I love to write and have been writing for as long as I can remember. Someday, and some day soon, I will use that writing to reach out to people, to help them grow through their lives, rather than just go through it.

Right now, I am helping several widows in a widows group I belong to on Facebook. Sadly, we lost Leon in 2006 to a work-related accident in Yakutat, Alaska, so I know and understand the pain of loss and heartache. Many of these women need to learn to grow through life without their husbands by their sides, and I am living proof that it can be done. I have had women email me privately asking me questions about how I managed to get to where I am today and, while I don’t actually give advice, per se, I do offer support and encouragement.

I have not seen a John Wayne movie or NASCAR race on TV since Leon died. I don’t hunt. And I’ve only been camping once, and that was at a posh cabin on a lake!

I am now growing through life rather than going through life. And I am lovin’ it!

—->See how others are growing through life, too.<—


                Susan Stuck
               208-871-1273