Reality Poop.

"Let's be realistic." 
Ugh, how I despise this tiny sentence. It gives me the feeling of being stuck with no way out. I suppose it's not 'realistic' to think this way or so I've been told. 
Let's unpack it a bit. Well for starters, good ole Websters defines this adjective as: having or showing a sensible and practical idea of what can be achieved or expected.
Ooooh and the synonyms are even more fun: businesslike, down-to-earth, practical, pragmatic, sensible, sane, unfantastic, (Yes, it's listed) real and unromantic. 
Yes, alright- I agree, being sane, sensible and real are important along with some of these levelheaded ways of being. Here comes my big ole but.Don't we need to balance reality a bit? Where would the opposite of "unfantastic" come from? 
Um. And have things gone as expected??? Oh dear. 
Dear Friends, being realistic is not one of my stronger points. At the same time, I know I must have been a smidge practical, or I would not survived in New York City for over thirty years. Oooooh and yes, there are some stories- but those are for another day. 
Somewhere along the way, I was business like enough for my clothing line to make it to the racks of Barneys back in the day and for a dream of a yoga studio to come to life many moons ago. 
Tap the brakes please. Er, those two examples would never have happened without a willingness to step out of the realm of reality. In fact, I was told by more than a few that both of my previous ventures were a bit nuts. Why leave a successful styling career in the film biz? 
Well. Because I had dreams. 
We all do. And when we start connecting the dots to our purpose, life takes some turns off the path we might have known. 
Oh and that meaning thing isn't just found like a lost set of keys- it often takes some work to uncover it. It means we probably got to get practical polly to dive into some deeper water to realize what is it that makes the heart sing. 
And when the heart sings, it doesn't mean that things are all the sudden blissful and rosy. Nope, in fact, it can often mean we will live have to live through multiple poop cyclones to keep the dream alive. 
Reality alert: The struggles are what give life meaning. Challenges + mistakes = wisdom + growth. Everyone one of us would be living our dream if it were easy. No poop tsunamis.
Think about it. Yes, I know, It kinda sucks to hear.
But remember when a true friend really told you the truth? Or you got fired? Or dumped? Or rejected? Yup, it stung and sure, we could become spiteful, pissed and feel sorry for ourselves. 
Or. We could learn something about ourselves?
I am in a stage that is revealing my meaning more and more. What I know is that the poop storms have been an integral part in uncovering my dream. I also know it took a whole lot of unrealistic thinking to keep me off others path and on my own. 
The heart's path to meaning realistically requires that we manage imposter syndrome, mindset, time management, focus, sleep, stress & anxiety.  
Make mistakes. Be fantastic. Laugh in the poop storm whenever possible. Sprinkle reality in lightly. Observe what thoughts are consistently fed. Reminders that if everything is temporary, what do we want to Identify with? 
I'll take the dreams and poop. Although, it seems I'm also a little realistic.

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