What's your manifesto?

When I first came across this Holstee manifesto, I loved it! Manifesto means a public declaration of principles or intentions. The following half dozen statements are probably my favorites from this manifesto:

"Do what you love and do it often." By all means, be led by your passions. If you enjoy something, you are probably good at it, and it is what you are supposed to be doing with your life. Trust that principle. Trust your gut. "Follow your bliss," Joseph Campbell tells us. And definitely do not be led by money. It will not matter how much you make if you don't love what you are doing. Thank you, God, that I followed my passion into teaching high school English.

"Stop over analyzing." Oh wow, that's me! Thinking, thinking, thinking way too much. I'm a contemplative person by nature, and that's good to a certain point. After that, let it go, let it go, let it go. You can decide not to think about something anymore. You are not your mind; you are in control of your mind.

"When you eat, appreciate every last bite." Therefore do not eat in front of the TV! Except for popcorn, of course. But even then, you are apt to eat too much of it and not to enjoy every last bite. Even if you eat alone, set up your meal on a kitchen table with candles or flowers, a pretty place mat or table cloth, and your favorite china. Relish every bite. You will generally eat slower, not overeat, appreciate and taste every bite. This also includes not eating in front of a computer, in a car, etc. I bet this one thing would keep us from gaining weight.

"Open your mind, arms, and heart to new things and people. We are united in our differences." I still believe that teaching about the major religions of the world was one of my best contributions to teaching Senior English at Harpeth High School. That kind of study can really open up our minds and hearts. Understanding is the key to compassion. Also a key word in the statement above is new. Keep introducing yourself to new things and people; keep trying new things; and you will be more mindful and alive and aware.

"Travel often; getting lost will help you find yourself." I always like to have a trip planned to look forward to and to save up for. Two friends and I are traveling to West Virginia in mid-October to see the autumn leaves, to hike, and to raft the New River. Early next autumn 2014, I am planning a longer trip to Montana and Wyoming to see the Tetons and Yellowstone. I love to visit national parks. I'm sure that I will be hiking and rafting there, too. I discovered quite a few years ago that I prefer an "active" vacation!

"Life is short." All of a sudden, I'm 64 years old. And I want to ask, "When did that happen?" or "How did that happen?" For some reason, time seems to move faster and faster the older we get, or at least that has been my experience. It's odd how well I can remember being a teenager in high school and in college or a new teacher in my early 20s or a new mother in my early 30s or a new kayaker in my early 40s, and again the operative word here seems to be new. 

That's interesting. Perhaps that speaks to us about one way to slow time down--try new things. Have an adventurous spirit. Even at 64, there are still new adventures ahead. In the poem "Ulysses,"Tennyson admonished us to be "A bringer of new things . . . To follow knowledge like a sinking star, /Beyond the utmost bound of human thought." He further encourages us that "'It is not too late to seek a newer world . . . [to be] strong in will/To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield."

Tennyson's words, too, are a part of my personal manifesto. "To strive, to seek, and not to yield." I like it. It is good.