I came to the realization recently that I’ve been doing a lot of waiting around in my life.

Don’t get me wrong, I can be a real go-getter when I want to be. I can throw caution to the wind and make major, life-changing decisions in an instant without so much regard to the consequences. I can be downright daring, in fact. But lately, I’ve been waiting. Waiting on my career and romantic life to lift off, waiting on my house to get redecorated (I mean, really, these walls aren’t going to paint themselves), essentially waiting on my life to get started.

(Where are my Olivia Pope fans? I couldn’t resist. 😉 )

Over the weekend, I had breakfast with a lovely friend of mine who was literally bubbling with excitement over recent developments in her life. She just applied to culinary school, is moving to New York City and met an amazing guy, to top it all off. Her life is basically unfolding with all the charm and synchronicity of a Meg Ryan movie. And as if that wasn’t cool enough, she also shared with me, between sips of coffee, pictures of how she plans to adorn her platinum blonde hair with streaks of purple and orange. (Know this: she will ROCK it.)

Please understand, I love this friend to death. She deserves every bit of this and I am OVER THE MOON for her, but I’d be lying if I said that listening to her wax on about her fabulous life didn’t cause me to feel just a tiny bit jealous. And as I grudgingly shoved small bites of gluten-free chocolate chip pancake into my mouth (I had ordered blueberry), I found myself thinking, “I want move to New York and go to culinary school. I want a Meg Ryan life. I want purple and orange hair.” I don’t, really. Or at least, I don’t think I do. (Hey, when you’ve managed to bounce back from what your stylist lovingly refers to as your ‘Bon Jovi’ cut, you tend to leave your hair alone.) I think the color streaked hair, for me (along with everything else), is just a representation of the fact that she’s putting herself out there, taking risks, and living the life she wants to live. And she’s not afraid to do it.

I said to her at one point, trying desperately to glean just an ounce of the mojo she was emanating from across the table, “I feel like there’s just a thin veil preventing me from stepping fully into the life I truly want to live.” She nodded, wide-eyed and knowing. She totally got it. And in that moment, I think I finally did too.

What I realized is that the key is to stop waiting. (Duh.) To just start moving in the direction of your dreams, even if it feels vague or overwhelming or a little bit crazy. To dig in and get messy. To let the Universe catch up with the grand vision you hold for yourself. I know one thing for certain: all of this waiting around isn’t doing any good.

So I pulled myself up by my spiritual bootstraps, muttered under my breath, “The light in you reflects the @%&*ing light in me,” and marched my sorry butt straight over to Home Depot where I bought eight ounce samples of every nude paint color that struck my fancy, and I’m happy to report that the south wall of my bedroom is now covered in broad strokes of ‘pale cashmere’ and ‘cafe cream.’ (Hey, I never said I was getting crazy — I have a neutral palette, I can’t change who I am.) I like to think of it as my own version of purple and orange streaked hair. The point here is that I did something. I took action. I took one small step into living the life I want to live. And it felt good. Like, really good.

And I don’t plan on stopping there. The waiting is over. It’s time to start doing. It’s time to step fully into the life I want to be living. Now, who’s with me? 🙂

So to my lovely, inspiring, courageous and soon-to-be purple and orange streaked friend who reminded me where my true strength and power come from: I salute you. I honor you. I thank you. <3

xoxo

Kristi