Hi, my name is Betsy Varner, and I am a World Race blog stalker.
"Hi Betsy"
Well, the first step is admitting that you have a problem, right? As I mentioned in my previous blog, "Screaming God", I have been an avid World Race stalker for over a year now. And although there are definitely worse things in life to be obsessed with, it has become a problem. I find myself on the website for hours at a time, reading up on the adventures that others are having and that I am so looking forward to having. And while there is something truly powerful about getting to know someone through their words and the stories and experiences that they share and allowing yourself to be inspired, I seem to have gotten a bit caught up in it all. Here's the problem: I'm living vicariously through the lives of these current racers and forgetting to live the life I'm in right here, right now.
This word has been on my heart as I've been pondering this idea. It doesn't sound difficult, but how often are we ever just truly living in and enjoying the moment that we're in? Cell phones, facebook, instagram, twitter, snapchat, blogs… It's a full-time job to document and communicate about your life and to keep up on the lives of others!
A couple of years ago, I was trying to convince my dad to get a facebook account. His logic behind avoiding the trend (being the hipster he is) has since stuck with me. "I'd rather have my own adventures than just spend all of my time reading about everybody else's." Wise 'ol Dad hits the nail on the head! I mean, let's think about this! If we all just read about adventures, then eventually nobody is going to be out having the adventures that we all love learning about!
So here is my realization, accompanying my resolve to be better about this. As excited as I am to be a world racer, I'm not there yet! I need to find a balance of looking forward to and being excited for my future and living out my present: the here and now. I'd be a complete fool to ignore the place I'm in right now, because it's pretty amazing! I'm blessed to be a student at Manchester University, with some of the most amazing people I have ever met. And as always, I am blessed with an absolutely incredible group of family and friends. And frankly, these people deserve my time and attention! So I am going to enjoy being in this moment, just as I will someday soon enjoy each and every moment on the world race!
