I think I’ve decided that maybe the best way to get where you’re going is to stop thinking so hard.

I’ve heard a million stories of ruined vacations that fell apart thanks to ruthless timetables and unrealistic expectations. You’re going from point a to point b, making twenty stops between, and there’s a laundry list of things you want out of the trip; but then one thing goes off-schedule, and then another, and the trail of dominoes falls without pause.

I’m not saying that you should just hop in your car with no destination in mind. Maybe have a few ideas about things you’d like your vacation to include. Sure, you can hope that you get a chance to see or do any number of things, but don’t make your vacation’s success contingent on those things.

I’m stumbling clumsily with this metaphor, but then, I suppose that’s what blogs are for.

I think what I’m saying is this: you get a certain image in your head of your ideal [job, partner, car — whatever], but you’ll never make a complete picture. And then maybe you start thinking certain combinations don’t exist, whether through experience or through heresay, so you start giving up on them. Maybe you give up on some traits because of bad experiences with correlations to those traits.

But when you stop thinking so much (not stop looking, I’ll point out, but maybe not looking so hard, like the guy running down the hall asking where his glasses are when they’re perched atop his head) — well, maybe the things that you want find you. Or maybe you just notice them because you’re not so busy convincing yourself that maybe they exist.

My life is a perfect example of why you should never give up hope, no matter how many failures you stumble through along the way. Endurance is a virtue in this world, and a stubborn determination to acheive your dreams can help you find them, eventually.