Ready to Launch?

There's a movie made sometime in the last 5 years called Failure to Launch. The story focuses on a woman, played by Sarah-Jessica Parker, who helps parents "launch" their adult sons out from under their roof. Sometimes the grown men are practically dragged kicking and screaming. They are not ready to launch into independence -- with all of its joys and challenges.

Know anybody like that? When's the last time you had a big project or household task in front of you and you said, "I'll get to that but first I need to do this, then this, then that..."? We are using the art of procrastination (and it can be an art) to avoid launching into something.

I am so guilty of that on a hundred fronts.

Yesterday, I spent a good two hours cleaning out a closet in our bathroom that, quite honestly, hasn't seen the light of a cleaning rag in 5 years. The only reason I launched into the project now was because the door broke. Looking at the innards of the closet with no filter wasn't so pretty. There was no way to get out of this one.

Back on New Year's I stepped on the scale. And while I did vow I was going to work on accepting myself the way I am this year, I can't ignore that I need to shed some of the excess poundage and make healthier choices.

Today I launched into a new eating plan. (I'm going to call it that because DIET is such a nasty four-letter word, isn't it?) I realize when I look at the calendar it has taken me half of January to launch into this. Sometimes starting is the hardest step. We're not ready to launch unless there is significant pressure from the flight crew or we hear a final countdown from the Commander, who I know would not push me to launch unless He knew I could handle it.

I think we get into a comfort zone. We don't necessarily like it but we're willing to stay in it because change can be tough. We want to find an easier, softer way. But 9 times out of 10, it's hard work, isn't it?

I'm reminded of a favorite phrase of mine: To get something you've never had, you have to do something you've never done.

For me, that starts with hitting that "launch" button. From there, the journey is in the hands of our Commander. And, really, what more could we ask for? C'mon. Are you ready to launch?