Time to take stock of where we are.

In addition to many well known musical artists we have lost recently, here in the Bristol area, there have been several deaths in the musical fraternity. It set me to thinking about a few things, and particularly since I recently turned 68, thinking about my time left on this Earth.

I rarely talk about this. And I certainly don’t make it public. But I’ll make an exception just this one time because maybe there is something good that can come of it. I, like lots of us, have people close to me suffering from terrible and/or terminal situations.
Recently, I’ve seen some who have fought and won, and some who continue to fight for their lives. I’ve been with friends who won’t get better. I’ve seen a buddy when we both knew it would be the last time (and it was). I’ve visited with others who probably didn’t even know who I was, although I’ve known them most of my life. I’ve stayed in contact with some with illnesses that will soon prevent us from ever speaking person to person again. I’ve done this recently more than any other time in my life.

I share this, not to seek sympathy, I simply observe that these people would trade places with any of us. In a second. No matter how happy, miserable, or depressed we may be, we have the opportunity to enjoy our days. So what will we do with that opportunity?
So what if it requires us to make uncomfortable changes, even to the way we think? It’s a shameful waste if we don’t do whatever it takes to enjoy the days we have. And I think it’s disrespectful to these important people if we don’t make the most of our time – time they don’t or may not have. I can’t think of a better way to honor these folks or their memories than to take advantage of our opportunities to be happy and enjoy each day, each challenge, each conversation, each touch, each visit, each hamburger, each new and old experience, each quiet rest, each sunset, and every other thing that’ important to us.

So I ask myself some questions to see how I’m doing. I’ll share them here.

Have you:

Done that thing you’ve wanted all your life to do?
Done the other top 25 things?
Passed on to others all you’ve learned?
Helped everyone you can all you can?
Learned all you wanted to know?
Made life better for somebody else?
Been everywhere you want to go?
Said everything you need to say?
Lifted up everyone needing it?
Do you have the relationship you always wanted?

There are probably lots of reasons why these might result in a “no” answer. But are not they just excuses? Or, is it easier to just give up on them? If they haven’t happened to our satisfaction yet, then are they going to? When?

So what’s your spark? Is it gone? Alive and kicking? Sleeping? Forgotten?

My list is probably not what’s important to you. These are my questions. What are yours?

 

My one main question: am I being mindful of the moment?

We have a tendency to go through life on autopilot, wandering around never realizing we are doing something. Even if it is as mundane as breathing, driving to work, typing on a message board.

 

I'm in the process of making major life changes, because I didn't like how things were.

 

I'm proud of you.

 

Excellent.

 

May the wind be at your back!

 

May sound cheesy or whatever, but I ask myself, "Did I make my dad proud today."

Now, I'm not fighting the ghost of my dad. He simply was the strongest, most courageous man I've ever known. If I can answer in the affirmative on any given day, I feel I've done well.


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Trying hard to make work and money meaningless. It's a struggle. Starting to win a little.

 

Good. Life can have a way of convincing us to forge shackles to our present situation no matter how unpleasant it might be.

 

When you figure that out, let me know how to do it.

 

Pay everything off. I'm not there yet

 

I'll be in DC in early May for the indefinite future. I'll be sure to mind the speed limit on the way in.

 

It's funny and sad at the same time. That would obviously lead to more piece of mind and of making money/work no longer THE thing, and yet look how most of us Americans live...

 

Probably some truth in this. All I have is the mortgage. If all goes as planned, it will be paid off in 5-7 years.

I don't know even then if I could completely turn off the ambition part. It's just part of my hard wiring.

 

I owe my mortgage, nothing else. This year, lined out so far, it's going to be very good to me, but there's a lot of ditches to dig and "unforeseen circumstances" to go to get there.

I've been very fortunate in that regard.

 

Nothing wrong with ambition and desire, it just turns sour when that is all we think about. I wish I had a bit more ambition, to be honest.

Middle way in all things.

 

Yeah if anything my problem is I'm too lazy

 

As a casual observer from very far away, it seems like you've figured out your business niche and are riding Nashville's boom quite well, JG. I'm sure success will continue.

 

The ambition part will always be there for me too, but I'm not worried about anything jumping the rails anymore. It took 6 years, but I can go to bed without all of it on my mind, for the most part.

 

Find something to do that your passionate about and finding out what's really important in life is the key.