Fiction author Robin Brande talks about writing, reading, and other vital matters

Today at the bookstore, as I paid for my travel guide and maps to London, the cashier said, “Oh, that’s always been on my list.”

“Mine, too,” I said. “That’s why I’m going.”

Easy for me to say, she was probably thinking.

But really. What’s to prevent any of us from accomplishing the things we keep saying we want to do some day?

(Oh, let’s see . . . money, time, that job thing, the fact that I hate flying, kids, spouse, mortgage payments, the fact that I’ve dipped into the college fund to buy gas this week . . . . Any of those sound familiar?)

Here’s how I see it.

1. We’re more likely to do the things that we plan.

2. We’re more likely to do the things that we plan and take steps toward.

3. We’re more likely to do the things that we plan and take steps toward if we’re absolutely honest with ourselves about what it is we want.

Today I went shopping for clothes. I hate, hate, hate shopping, because nothing ever looks the way I want it to. My shoulders are too broad, I’ve got that hereditary lower gut/marsupial pouch thing going on, I’m too short for regular, too tall for petite . . . blah, blah, blah. So I tell myself if I’d just lose another 10 pounds, I could wear anything I want.

Fine. Good in theory, right? But then I start thinking about what that means. It means no more chocolate, no spicy tortilla chips, no eating whatever I want because I figure I’ll take care of it by exercising, which has been working really well for me these past few years.

But we’re talking about going from Linda Hamilton in Terminator to Linda Hamilton in Terminator 2–remember how stunning that transformation was? (And let me clear, I am in no way saying I look even remotely as good as Linda Hamilton has in any movie, or even if she were just sitting around in sweat pants or a hospital gown. This is purely a point about what’s possible.)

Anyway. In T2 Linda was all lean muscle and bone. I understand she ate basically protein and air, and did weight-training night and day, and there’s no doubt she looked incredible and formidable in T2, but is that really how I want to live? Apparently not, since I just ate an entire bar of Trader Joe’s dark chocolate with pecans and raisins. Oh, well.

Which brings me back to the honesty thing. I can pretend I want to look like Linda Hamilton, but it’s obviously not true, or I’d do what it takes to be her.

So back to London and my Life List and all of that.

It’s not terribly convenient to go to London next month. I’ll have to work double time to finish the revision on my novel, I don’t really feel like being away from my husband and dogs for that long, I’m not looking forward to the long plane ride. But I know that when I made these plans last year I had such a thrill in my heart. I have lived a pretend English life for so long, and when I saw my chance to go there, I took it.

Because it was on my List. And my List is important to me. It reminds me–literally–what is important to me.

And since soon I’ll be checking off my “go to England” item, I have to add another one. That’s my rule.

I’ve been thinking maybe it should be going to one of those camps in Alaska where you learn to drive a dog sled team. Doesn’t that sound incredibly fun? Dogs, outdoor adventure, camping in the snow–what’s not to love?

So when will I do that? No idea. How will I pay for it, arrange it, etc.? Not my business right now. My business is to write it down, look at it on the page, see if my heart and brain tell me it’s something I truly desire. If dog sledding passes that test, that’s all I need to know for now.

Because some day the opportunity will present itself. That’s just how it goes. Once an item is in your brain, you tend to notice “coincidences” that suddenly make it possible to pursue your dream. It’s happened to me and other people so many times I don’t even question it anymore.

So there you have it. No to looking like T2 Linda Hamilton, yes to dog sledding.

Which is perfect, since I’ll need all that chocolate weight for insulation.

Technorati Tags: Life List, Goal-Setting, Goals, Motivation, Success, Linda Hamilton, Chocolate, Dog Sledding

Posted on Sunday, May 28th, 2006 at 6:12 pm under Life, Chocolate . Subscribe to responses: RSS 2.0 Comment Feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.