It has taken me almost seventy-five years to figure out something simple about my personality makeup! Since I put it together only this morning, forgive me if my summation is still a little bit unclear. However, on the off-chance that it might be true of most of us, I’ll risk sounding slightly muddled.
My brain has two settings:
1. Ho-Hum
2. Focused like a laser
From my school days on, I’ve been quite familiar with both. Ho-Hum was common and that, unfortunately, included most of my class subjects. laser was triggered by service activities, such as Anchor Club; the Annual and High School Newspaper staffs; Prom planning committees, and such. At the University of Florida, the pattern continued with officer positions in the Women’s Student Association; the Blue Key Speaker’s Bureau and Mortar Board. If they had issued a degree for Student Leadership, I would have scored A+.
As a doctor’s wife and a stay-at-home Mom, I had to guard against spreading myself too thin with service activities. I couldn’t find many noble, local pursuits which benefited the planet as a whole but for thirty-three years my brain thrived on both fronts by falling in love with the Baha’i Faith. There was new revelation to digest about the unity of mankind and there was service in putting that ideal into action. For many years, I produced radio programs at home, among other things, while my kids were little and planned and led citizen diplomacy groups to the newly-opened Soviet Union, once they were grown and gone. My brain was pinging on all levels. Then, Ho-Hum and laser hit a wall when I topped out on the big picture of that Faith in 1997 and it lost forward momentum for me. Luckily, my inner spirituality had gotten its act together and I went out on my own, never looking back. (See www.insecretdiffusion.com).
Freedom brings a constant search for fields which trigger my laser Brain because, at this age, I’m not willing to tolerate Ho-Hum any more. It’s a time-waster! Now, I search for that which my heart LOVES; not what others say I need.
Therefore, I’m swinging out on my second solo trek around the world, using only my social security income, with no need to come home or to settle down any time soon. My laser Brain is so very happy as it tackles all the new subjects that it needs to know NOW…maybe even yesterday. My Ho-Hum Brain is awfully glad to give itself permission to stop the dull chewing of boring, but thought-to-be-good-for-you, age-appropriate, senior citizen material. You know the sort: gloomy prognoses, medical subjects, retirement centers, medicare prospects, insurance matters, nursing homes, funeral parlors….along with frightening prognostications about where social security is headed if we don’t allow more higher taxes and lower benefits.
Of course, I took care of all of my necessary personal details and left the paperwork in my daughter’s capable hands. I can always tweak, if I have to, and then leave it alone again. In the meantime, this brain’s gonna LIVE!
My advice is never settle for Ho-Hum! Seek out your own laser Brain! There’s a distinctive physical difference in the feel of your head, especially your eyes, when you come into contact with that high octane fuel. It’s worth looking for.
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