Anchors
Anchors in Life
I was talking with a friend recently, and he shared with me something that really struck a chord. We were talking about consistency and ruminating on what the absolute constants were in our lives – “Anchors” as he called them. For him, they were his love of backpacking, staying in touch with his freshman year of college floor-mates, and playing the guitar. “No matter what,” he shared, “I always have a desire to maintain these aspects of my life. Sometimes I’m better at it than other times because life will get in the way. But I always want to do these things.” His face totally lit up when he spoke about his anchors and it got me thinking, what are mine?
What Anchors Me
Anchor Number 1: Travel
As an army wife, I’ve lived in the north, the south, the west coast, the suburbs, the city, you name it! This has taught me how to really experience new places. I’ve taken that knowledge and apply it to any kind of travel I’m lucky enough to do. There’s just a thrill of going somewhere new that makes me hungry to keep doing it whenever I can!
Anchor Number 2: Public Service
Both as a spouse of someone in the military and through my own endeavors, I’ve found that being of service to others has been a cornerstone of my life for years. Whether it was working on base to support our troops or from supporting the Long Grey line at the AOG in West Point and now as VP of a humanitarian organization, I have always had a desire to do work that fits the public service mission. I may not have set out in life to have this be a constant of mine, but upon reflection, I’m delighted it worked out that way.
Anchor Number 3: Friendship
This may sound general, but I do mean it in a broad sense! I’m a social person, and since I can’t hold on to all of the places I’ve lived, I make it a priority to hold on to the relationships that mattered to me in each particular place. My friends keep me sane, and we make an effort to maintain these relationships with one another. You know who are <3 For that reason, I have to include them all in my final anchor.
Finding Your Anchors
What are the anchors in your life?
In other words, what are the hobbies, relationships, or passions that you always come back to? In a life where we are all juggling a million different responsibilities, what are the ones that you never let drop? Sometimes these are responsibilities to others, like your partner, your parents, or your pets, but they can also just as easily be responsibilities to yourself. You may be dead tired at the end of the day from work, work around the house, or just working out. But what do you still, somehow, in spite of everything, have the energy and interest for?
