This is a sponsored post by AARP
As a younger person I really did not know what would give my life meaning: love, a great career, a family, travel and adventure were my best guesses. I knew only that I wanted live a life unrestricted by other’s dreams and I wanted to become a fully developed human being. Of course, I had no idea what that meant except what I’d read in theosophical books I’d attempted to understand. I used my imagination, spent a lot of time in books, movies, and eaves-dropping on adult conversations trying to imagine how I would live and what I would become. Little did I know that using my imagination in life was just the beginning. I would have to actually live through the changes in my life and that change would be the fuel for my growth.
Some of my early dreams were “ If X then happiness” dreams. I really believed that if I could get “ X” to happen, I would become happy ever after. But over many years, tears and frequent frustrations, I began to learn how I needed to make small adjustments and to bounce back quickly from all that I could not control.
My life has included caregiving. If like me, yours has too, you have most likely experienced challenges that did not live in your original dreams. From my challenges, I have been able to rebound, sometimes temporarily devastated, but stronger in the long run — but only after I was able to accept life’s changes.
My point is that many of my young dreams were merely destinations, not my complete journey. Time has helped me understand that we all change many times in life. And that the important thing is to continue to dream and imagine. When changes present themselves in our lives, whether by design or circumstance, the important thing is to restart from wherever you are.
Recently AARP launched Life Reimagined, a tool that help users understand what they may be feeling when they face change and includes specific activities to help make better choices. It directs your thinking in identifying support or inspiration to reach one’s goals. But most importantly, Life Reimagined encourages us all to go for what we want and to explore the possibilities before us.
Using my imagination has been key to helping me grow and unfold. Do you regularly spend time reimagining your life?
Visit AARP’s Caregiver’s Resource
Beverly Diehl says
Life is indeed a journey. Lots of unexpected turns and side trips and detours, but that’s what makes it fun.
Patricia A Patton says
Beverly your comment got lost in the spam. Thank you for reading my post and visiting the site.