Keep some room for the unimaginable

Yesterday, I came across this beautiful quote that struck a chord and resonated so profoundly that I decided to try and pour out my thoughts around it.

“Keep some room in your heart for the unimaginable.” — Mary Oliver

I am a person who is quite reserved in interpersonal conversations (most times out of habit and sometimes out of fear of embarrassment). I find it mentally demanding to be the initiator of conversations. While I can be a very different person in a few situations like the workplace or being around a few close friends, I crave solitude and I’m my truest self when I’m all by myself (doesn’t matter where I am). I could just put on my headphones and be all to myself — which is good sometimes, but it does block out the world around me.

As satisfactory as it is to be comfortable in your own company, I think one should not be building walls around themselves. I think in the last few years, I had done just that. I was too cozy in my own little bubble that I didn’t even notice the life and beauty around me. As much as I firmly believed nothing is impossible (and that I or anyone could do anything they really wanted to), I was becoming rigid in my own way. I found myself saying “no” or, at times more strongly, “never” to more and more things.

I’ve had some reminders about this in the last few months to not take life so seriously — through some old and new connections. Reminder to self: It is not a zero-sum game, it is not a game of chess (that you always have to plan x steps forward), and it is not a competition. Also, please don’t spend too much time listening to ‘productivity bros’, it’s a trap!

While you can only control your own actions, you don’t have to make it harder for things (read: surprises) that might come your way.

I’m going to start by slightly turning up my “bitchy resting face”. I think the first step towards that is to stop drowning my headspace with headphones almost every waking minute of the day. And smiling more! I might not be able to start conversations just yet, but I can at least greet the surprises in life with open arms.

Photo by Vladislav Klapin on Unsplash

🙂