My Pursuit of Happiness
Going in the opposite direction of what most people say in order to achieve what really matters to you can be risky. It is shaky ground for a person only used to what they know. It reminds me of so many adults in my life who do their job because they were told they were good with numbers, or that they would make the most money here or there, or even that their only option was to take over the family business. It is a dismal moment when someone realizes they should have taken those chances and tried to succeed with what they love to do in life.
It is important that you know your aspiration truly does give you the joy you yearn for. I immediately connected to a man named Merce Cunningham as I read an article about him. He had it right when he talked about his passion for what he, himself, loved to do. He said, “You have to love dancing to stick to it. It gives you nothing back, no manuscripts to store away, no paintings to show on walls and maybe hang in museums, no poems to be printed and sold, nothing but that single fleeting moment when you feel alive.” He sure knew what he was talking about- he knew what he loved to do, and he knew he would do anything to be able to do it.
Dancing is a way for me to get away- this, Cunningham and I have in common. The world around me vanishes like flour being blown off the tip of a spoon, like a dandelion’s tendrils breaking free when wished upon. I don’t know what I would do without that escape. There are people I know, though, that think it is just a waste of time to dance. I’ve decided to ignore those people. Dancing is what I love, and I will undertake the necessary risks to successfully thrive in my pursuit.
Throughout my life I have been told to take risks when life throws you chances and opportunities to do what you love. My mom in particular has always been supportive in this realm of my future. She often makes reference to her favorite Robert Frost poem, The Road Not Taken. He wrote,
‘Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.’
What purpose is there in life other than to do what you love? If it means going against the grain, then so be it. I will take the risks and chances, and I will strive to do what I love in life. I need to make the most in life. That means making myself happy, even if I have to work to get there.
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