Planning Part One - Anything But Ordinary

By Francine Puckly

I’m thrilled to have been treated to a celebration of a dear friend’s 50th birthday in NYC this past weekend. He’s not an ordinary person, and it wasn’t your ordinary bash. We enjoyed a packed event in Times Square with an eclectic group of friends, family and Broadway colleagues—a star-studded singing extravaganza. It was a treat to see old friends and a true gift to share in the love and admiration for our friend. The atmosphere was both joyous and exhilarating, and it was a reminder of how much each of our lives—and life’s work—touches others in large and small ways. I left the evening of merriment with gratitude for all I have, while at the same time crackling with excitement and anticipation for all the marvelous things that still await me on my journey.

We’re all on this planet to fulfill our life’s work, which includes celebrating love and friendship with each other along the way. Our endeavors may be great or small, but these passions are what motivate us. Besides looking forward to spending time with my wonderful family, I get up because each day brings endless possibility. While I’ll concede that not every morning feels this way, a vast majority of my days I awake with a sense of hope and adventure for what life has in store for me. I might stumble on an idea for a new story or a plot twist so intriguing it makes me forget my morning chocolate break, or I might discover a workshop that will improve my writing (or, perhaps more importantly, provide an avenue to meet a new colleague or friend). Other days, I'm buoyed by friends who inspire me to be brave. My daughter’s 96-year-old dance teacher still sings, dances and performs for audiences, runs her own business, and recently made a momentous change to her annual production of the Nutcracker with enthusiasm some of us half her age wouldn’t exude. Our friend in NYC was told as a young child he wouldn't amount to anything, yet he has a loving family, runs a very successful financial services business, appears regularly on TV, and produces Broadway musicals. He's done all of this, and then some, because he lets the naysayers say no to their own lives, not his.

Our midyear point is the perfect time to assess our goals (as Kelly suggests in her May 19th blog, “Happy June Year’s Eve – Time to Revise Your Writing Goals”) but also to ponder our longer-range, further-reaching future. In the coming week, carve out an hour or two from your busy schedule to consider all that you’d like to bring to fruition. What would you like to see in the next three, five or ten years of your life? It could be a delayed creative endeavor, a long-desired trip, or a new business venture. Imagine it. And write it down! (I’ll be back to talk about mapping out action plans for these ambitions in a month or two.)

Set your sights on achieving these dreams. Because today is anything but ordinary, and who knows what tomorrow might bring!

- Francine

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