What if?

My nightmare that appears most realistic is the worry that my life will become routine.

A monotonous life of the same old same old scares me to pieces and fans that Ifft flame inside of me to do something crazy like buying a one way plane ticket to backpack around Europe. I know Walter sees that simmering spark in me too because he starts asking questions about my mental health whenever I pick up a book about women who follow their adventurous spirits.

But my predictable responsible oldest child self doesn't rush into far flung dreams quickly. Instead I provide the voice of reason for a family of mom, dad, sister, and brother who live anything but predictable lives.

So what if I did something unpredictable? Sure it wouldn't be exploring options of moving my family to a jungle or hiking the Appalachian Trail from top to bottom but I do have some options.

What if I looked for ways to meet more friends?
What if I stopped fiddling around with a dream and became serious?
What if I found the running shoes in the back of my closet and put them on again? (and then ran a few steps)
What if I took a train trip?

Donald Miller describes the endless possibilities that open up by asking the "what if?" question on his blog. Slipping into the ruts of life and walking through days of stifling predictability happens so easily but I'm happy to be reminded that options are there. I'm challenging myself to act on plot twisting opportunities.

How about you? What does "what if?" look like for you?