You’ve probably heard the saying,
“A ship is safe in harbor,
but that’s not what
ships are built for.”
Dang.
Makes you want
to take risks, doesn’t it?
But then the dog starts barking
and your phone lights up
for the 154th time
and the market plummets
and politicians fight
and Facebook groans.
And you wonder
what it is exactly
you’re on this earth to do,
or, maybe even more important,
who you’re meant to be.
Yeah,
the ship quote
makes you feel
warm inside
but isn’t being human a little more messy?
What about us,
in all our non-water-vessel,
complicated mess?
What about
those of us
whose sense of purpose
(or calling, if you grew up in church)
isn’t as obvious as masts
and anchors and rudders?
Where’s the
instruction manual
for being human?
Is it okay that everything
is a little less obvious?
Maybe,
just maybe,
it’s okay
to be in harbor.
Maybe ships
aren’t meant to sail
24 hours a day,
7 days a week.
Maybe humans
aren’t like machines,
designed to DO, DO, DO
instead of be, be, be.
Maybe the harbor
is exactly where you’re meant to be,
and you’re not missing out
and you’re not failing
and you’re not lazy
and you’re not going to be harbored forever
and you’re going to sail again
but it’s okay to rest.
It's okay to say no,
even to good opportunities,
and drink deeply of the
Joy of Missing Out.