life isn’t waiting.

Last weekend, I put out a post on Instagram. It had a carousel of pictures — a collection of photographs I took from a trip with some friends. The text read:

Don’t let your life stop you from living your dream, but don’t let your dream stop you from living your life.

A bit cheesy, I know, but it was authentic to my sentiments in the moment. And it’s something I’ve had to remind myself of frequently as of late.

I’ve been getting more and more invested in this life I’ve envisioned for myself — one where I can fill my days with endless creativity and the manifested workings of my imagination. One where I don’t have to spend 8 hours every day working towards a dream that isn’t really mine anymore. In order to do that, however, I have to keep going.

We so often talk about the hustle, myself included. For me, it’s waking up early and grinding out word counts and editing manuscripts. Even this, right here, is my hustle.

It feels good, you know? I’m getting out there. I’m working towards my dream. I’m making it happen.

But life…life is still happening. Life isn’t waiting for me.

I don’t want to be the friend who’s never available because they’re always working. I don’t want to be the aunt who won’t stay up late with her nephew when he’s opening up about his struggles.

I want to live my life while I’m crafting it, like building a plane midflight. It’s a hell of a juggling act, sure — but it’s also pretty fucking metal, right?