Month: September 2022

Life and meaning

I hope to write something profound, or funny, or moving, or otherwise special, every time I sit down and touch the pen to paper. A person wants to believe their life has meant something.

Of course our lives have meaning, because our life touches other people’s life life all the time. We choose whether it’s a gentle touch or a battering ram. 

I suggest gentle. What is the point of bringing more violence and pain into the world?

Life is such a precious and fragile thing. Respect and honor life, and preserve it when you can.

And Now

Tomorrow is approaching — or is it?

It’s always now, isn’t it?

We plan for tomorrow — or fail to —

and we comb over yesterday

with fondness or regret, but meanwhile

Now is in progress, 

Now is happening,

Now is all we have.

It behooves us to pay attention now, 

to look around now,

and see what there is to be seen,

to find what needs to be done and do it,

Now.  

While we were busy making plans

The ancient scientist who cured a dozen deadly diseases sighed and said, “All I really wanted to be was a rock star poet.”

The celebrated author with 30 novels, a couple of popular movie and TV series, and a master class thousands had attended, said, “I was really good at science; what if I was put on this earth to cure cancer?”

The old man who never retired said, “I wish I’d saved my money when I was young so that I didn’t need to go to work now.”

The old man who grew rich, retired at 55 and traveled the world 10 times over said, “I miss work.”

The If Onlys creep up and seize an unsuspecting mind, leaving regret and imagined alternate realities in their wake. 

“If only I had done this one thing differently, things would be different.”

“What would have happened if that thing had happened one minute earlier, or 10 seconds later?”

Its fun to speculate, unless it isn’t and a pile of regret lands on your head.

They say life is what happens while you’re busy making other plans. It doesn’t turn out the way you imagined, and imagination always, always painted a prettier picture.

It always, always turns out differently, for better or for worse. And the wishing you could go back and change things? That way lies madness.

This is the life you have lived and are living, ups and downs and sideways and forward and backward and all. Say what you will, but it’s been quite a ride, hasn’t it?