Life is what you make it

Life doesn't always go as smooth as you want it to. Walking through the beautiful Red Wood Forest today, we got dumped on by rain again. I look at my surroundings and all I see is this beautiful lush green, rain forest-like environment around me. It's so gorgeous here, but I feel annoyed and wish it just wouldn't be raining! Shortly after thinking this I realize that without all the rain, there wouldn't be any tall Red Wood trees, moss growing on branches and fern winding around tree stems. I feel silly complaining about the rain so I decide to just enjoy being out here, breathe in the fresh crisp air and try to appreciate what I have a little more.

When we were driving from Redding to Patrick's Point yesterday, I was listing to an Episode of "This American Life". They had an interesting contribution on dreams and wishes that made me think of how lucky I've been throughout my life. There have been at least 3 big dreams that came true for me. When I was a little girl, my biggest dream was to have my own horse. We didn't really have money for one, but somehow things fell into place and when I was 14 I ended up with my own horse. Maybe I was just spoiled, or maybe it was my tenaciousness to make things happen but what seemed unreachable to me at that time became reality. I also have to say, I really really have to thank my mom for everything she's done for me, because without her my dream would have never come true. 

A few years later into my teenage years I started dreaming of living in the US. I never stopped thinking of it until, again it came true or somehow I made it happen and ended up moving to California. Part of my longing for coming to the US had to do with the incredible landscape this country has to offer. Traveling around and experiencing all this, has been another dream of mine. Working in the US though seems a lot harsher than in Germany. The meager 2 weeks vacation that are standard over here just left me enough time to make a quick annual trip back home to Germany. So after graduating from school and working for a design agency I saw my dreams of traveling for an extended period of time dwindling pretty quickly. But again after putting up with a bad job for a few years, getting laid off and being pretty frustrated in general about where my life was going, things fell into place. I met Tommy, I got a new job and a whole new life opened up to me. We started planning a life together, started dreaming together and started making those dreams come true. Sometimes I wonder if it's just pure luck or if I myself make all the good things in my life happen. Maybe it's both, but I think it's important not to be discouraged too easily if things don't work out perfectly and rather trust that things will fall into place in some way or another if you work for it. Just remember "Life is what you make it" or how you would say in German "Jeder ist seines eigenen Glückes Schmied".