Choose the Bigger Life

Gretchen Rubin writes in her book Outer Order—Inner Calm, “When trying to make a tough choice, challenge yourself: ‘Choose the bigger life.’”

 

I kept this quote in mind while vacationing in Iceland this past week. The first stop on our tour was Seljalandsfoss, a waterfall that you can walk behind. As Dave and I approached it, he said, “Are you going to go behind it?” Without hesitation I said, “Yes.” From the backside I experienced the exhilaration of water falling 65 meters over an old sea cliff. Even though the climb was more challenging than I expected, I’m glad I chose the bigger life. 

Another stop on our itinerary was hiking into a glacial ice cave. I was expecting a beautiful walk surrounded by blue ice and stalactites and stalagmites. Maybe something like you’d see in Disney’s Frozen movie. Instead, because of the lava particles, the glacier was black. When our guide showed us how to strap ice cleats to our hiking boots I knew this was not going to be what I expected. Still, I pulled on the cleats and made my way into the cave. I tasted 3,000-year-old ice. Cool. Well, cold. I chose the bigger life. 

Philosopher Henry David Thoreau wrote, “I love a broad margin to my life.” I like to imagine a sheet of lined paper with wide margins—space to write my bigger life.

The late Maya Angelo reminds us, "Because of the routines we follow, we often forget that life is an ongoing adventure." Similarly, Robin Sharma, best-selling author and leadership expert, says, “Don’t live the same day for 75 years and call it a life.”

Instead, choose the bigger life.

Copyright 2019. Patrice Jenkins. All Rights Reserved.