I’ve been thinking lately about how strange it is to have someone tell you they envy your life. Partially because when you’re in the midst of it, it’s easy to get caught up in the grind of daily life and blind yourself to how enviable it all appears (and is!) But what I really find strange is that there seems inherent in their words, an assumption that I’m lucky and that’s why I have the life I lead.

They want to quit their jobs, travel the world, dive into creative projects, and sing about it online. But they can’t. Because then they wouldn’t get the promotion or the house with the white picket fence or it would interrupt their education goals…

Sorry, but I’m calling bullshit. 

Sure, there’s a certain privilege built-in to the choices I make. But if you’re reading this in a developed country with a high-speed wireless connection while you seep a double-whip frappa-whatever, I bet you’ve got the same power of choice that I do.

And babe, it is your choice. Society, your grandma, your first grade teacher, and your next-door-neighbour might be telling you have to zig. But, if you want to, you can always zag. Ultimately, you’ll get the life you choose.

Sure, you can’t have it all – or at least not all at once. Many of my friends have added more fancy letters to their names while I’ve been embracing my nomadic existence. And the comfort of a place to call my own isn’t always conducive to this gypsy lifestyle. But there’s no one path to a happy, fulfilled life.

So, make each step your own. Choose it because it’s what you want, because it lights  you up inside and makes your soul sing. And maybe later on you’ll choose something different. But you’ll never have to lament what you missed out on while you were living someone else’s choices. Because you’ll always end up with the life you deserve, the one you chose.

All of these thoughts have been swimming around in my head but, as usual, Frank Zappa said it better.

Frank Zappa portrait via Lyneth Morgan.