There are so many different walks of life. We get caught up in our normal, our silo, our experiences and tend to forget that people survive and thrive in so many ways. Recently, we visited Hana on the island of Maui in Hawaii. While enjoying the beautiful scenery, lush with foliage, abounding with gushing waterfalls, we drove upon a farm-to-table pizza eatery. It appeared to be a family affair, with their gleefully delightful young daughter, attempting to run orders and help at the register while her older sister patiently, and not unkindly, directed her as she precociously contributed to her family business. After ordering, my husband and I sat at a glass-topped table, nestled on the perimeter against flourishing greenery lining a flagstone-paved patio. The small table displayed a fresh-cut red hibiscus in a little glass bottle lending whimsy to the secluded oasis in paradise. Relaxing, watching a teenage girl throw our pizza crust skillfully in the air, my mind takes in the tranquil setting, soaking it up like a drug, or a brand-new sponge, proving its use. And it hits me.

My brain caught the thought, spinning it around, inspecting it, in awe of this revelation. The epiphany struck me, flooding my consciousness, consuming my every thought. There are so many ways to live. I don’t have to fit into the box I have created for myself. Living with, by and for the self-constructed, and in some cases, society-constructed, rules penning-in my choices and actions. I am powerful and capable of changing my reality.

And as soon as my revelation hit my limbic system, she started to chime up, warning me that I won’t be safe if I change my reality. People like me fit into the socially-expected, societal norms. We stick with the status quo. It’s safe, tried and true, and manageable. But the epiphany is a fighter, and it grows in size and emphasis, until it wedges its self-composed shoulders in front of my limbic system and forces me to focus on its message.

It brings to mind a quote I’ve seen kicking around the positivity pages on social media. It has several iterations, just ask Google, but the key point is, it’s your life to make and choose, not a life sentence. You don’t have to be bound by the established ‘way’ or current constructs.

In my day to day, I find myself falling into old patterns, butting up against expectations and letting them run rampant until stress has wrung me out. I feel like I can never find enough brain power, time, patience, ability, to accomplish all that I feel needs to be done in order to be successful. This confident, zealous, epiphany I had in Hana, is demanding I give it its due respect, pressing me for my undivided attention. You got it. I’m creating the reality I want, and frankly I deserve, and will not be stopped. Obstacles: be warned.