Do you ever get lost in a TV program or a good book, to the point where you daydream about your heroine (or hero) and wish you could enter their world? That’s one of the most fun parts about being both a reader and a writer: But how much do you let yourself be the heroine (or hero) in your own life?
I don’t mean you should rush out and look for people to rescue or allow yourself to become some victim imperilled by a psychotic killer. Being a heroine in your own life is all about the small, quiet moments we take for granted: Sitting in your front porch, noticing how the sun sparkles on the window of a car parked down the road while your neighbor’s tree waves gently in the breeze. Feeling the crisp morning air while you sip your morning coffee. Staring at your little black cat while she stares enigmatically back at you.
Being the heroine in your own story is about stopping to notice where you are, who you are, how far you’ve journeyed, and what you have to be thankful for.
Say it aloud to yourself, putting yourself in the third person: “This is the life of _________, and right now, this morning/afternoon/evening, she is_____________ and ____________________.”
Stop and think what a miracle that is. Here you are, living your own story, able to choose:
- Your values
- Your beliefs
- What you are going to do next
- What goals you will set
- How you will take action and move towards them
- Whether or not it’s time for a rest
- How you will choose to respond to any and every situation
So write your own story with appreciation, joy and courage; and above all, hope. It’s your story—no one else’s. You get to decide who the villains are, how you will handle them, and what you want the outcome to be.
The villain might be an actual person from your past or in your present; or it might be an impersonal and implacable villain, such as cancer. What these villains can’t take away from you is the present moment.
You are alive, and you alone get to choose how you will spend that moment.
In that moment, you are in your own story—not outside of life; not bypassed because of disability, illness or loss. You are special, you are unique: No one else is doing what you’re doing, feeling what you’re feeling, and seeing what you see.
So take a moment to stop and be in “the now”. Take a moment to love yourself and your story, and thank yourself for being “me”.
Don’t numb yourself with busy-ness or distraction. Don’t wait for someone else to give you “permission”.
Make the choice. Be the heroine (or hero) in your own life.