It's my heart I'll follow this time

"...looking into the rearview, as the roads fade away.
I've sworn off my past, first to last bad call that I ever made.
Tell me how to make right every wrong turn that I've learned
so this can all end tonight.
Tennessee line just changed my mind.
Well, it's my heart I'll follow this time..."

Tennessee Line - Daughtry 

Nevermind for a moment that my story actually *does* involve the Tennessee line...we'll get to that in a moment.  What I really want to focus on right now is this:  There can never be found in you a fault for simply following your heart.

In my most recent post, Every Good and Perfect Plan, I talked about the idea that often times our life experiences don't end quite the way we plan for them to...but not to let that hold you back!  Joy and disappointment are both very natural parts of life, and how you handle them is what really makes a statement.

I made a decision not too long ago to jump on an opportunity in response to something my own heart was tugging at me about.  I was scared, terrified in fact, that it may end badly.  I didn't want a reason to feel disappointment!  Until someone posed this question to me: "What's the worst that can happen?".  I thought on that one long and hard.  Could it really be that simple? 

YES!  You hold every ounce of power in your hands to choose how you respond to life!  Who's to say it will end in disappointment?!  You don't know how deep the water is until you jump, and if you don't jump you just might spend the rest of your life wondering.  I don't know about you, but I'd rather have lived and learned than never have lived at all.  So...I took a big deep breath, a giant leap of faith, and I made a decision to move across the country based solely on what my heart was longing for...

Love.  To be more precise, that of one very specific person.

"Tennessee line just changed my mind. Well, it's my heart I'll follow this time..."

As I drove across state line after state line, something changed in me.  I was filled with peace.  It was as though I watched a trail of mistakes and regrets and baggage fall out of the back of the car, left lonely on the side of the road for someone else to clean up.  I let go.  I forgave myself.  I listened to my heart and made a final decision for my life...to always stay true to myself no matter the outcome. 

Has it gone the way I planned?  Truthfully, no.  Have I met with disappoinment?  Unfortunately, yes.  Did I have a run-in with heartbreak?  I'd be lying if I said no.  However...I can move forward knowing I took a chance on something, found the answers I set out to find, and now have this amazing opportunity to experience a brand new life!

"You're not a fool.  You followed your heart, and you're so courageous for doing that.  No one can ever say Kara Dorland never took a chance on love."

I just can't say this enough...follow your heart!  If you feel in yourself a strong desire for something, REACH FOR IT!  Who cares if you get knocked down?  Don't let that define who you are!  Pick yourself up, put a smile on your face, and remember that God has something much better planned for you.  Life is a beautiful, beautiful thing...don't waste it away in fear. <3

Every Good and Perfect Plan

It's no secret that I'm a dreamer.  I envision things, I plan them out exactly how I hope they'll turn out, and I jump on chance on whims of faith.  Then...I hope and pray that it doesn't end up biting me in the ass. :D  I'm a creature of hope.  I tend to live on the edge of circumstance and I jump frequently.  The danger of being a dreamer, however, is that all too often heartache results.  Why then, you ask, continue on living the the life of chance?  The answer is really quite simple: I truly believe that with every heartache, no matter how big or small, there is something beautiful waiting on the other side. 

After all...if not for heartache, what would we know of joy?  If not for failure, what would we know of success?

One thing is certain: that old adage about change being the only constant in life is true.  We must *always* be ready for change.  There are times when we set out to do things with the absolute very best of intentions and still receive completely unexpected, sometimes seemingly awful results.  Disappointing, right?  The way I see it is this: we can at that point choose to feel defeated and let disappointment get the best of us, or we can embrace the twist of change and look forward to what will eventually prove to be something even better.

I woke up this morning (at an ungodly hour, mind you!) struggling with this very subject.  In fact, I set out to write this about a month ago and just have not had the inspiration to put it all down in words.  It's as if God needed for me to eat my own words first.  True to form of course, I've had to adjust my own attitude based on the circumstances I hadn't planned for.

In the time it's taken me to type this out I've seen a beautiful sunrise over the Tennessee hills and I'm reminded that today is a brand new opportunity to pick myself up and reach out to embrace every dream I've ever had.  Today I choose to leave disappointment behind me.  I will go forth with a bag full of life's (often painful, but always great) lessons.  And in an effort to stay true to myself, I will choose to continue on in a journey full of chance and faith. 

To you my lovelies, I challenge you this: Dare to dream.  Take a chance.  Live on the edge.  Don't let life's disappointments knock you down and keep you from what you truly seek for yourself.  Some of the best-laid plans never produce the results we are hoping for, but be patient my friend...in everything there is a reason.  Something truly wonderful is waiting for you at the end. :)