Embrace The Journey…

The clock keeps ticking into the future and time stops for no one.

Time is fluid and Time is certain.

We are along for the ride.

Time is one of the few fair things in life. Anyone born to this world gets to experience its passage. We look ahead and we also reflect.

Confound it the darned clock…

What is it about birthdays that excited us when we were so very young, yet we face them with dread when we’re on the back side of youth? I look at Life as a series of chapters that encompass The Journey. It is important to bask in The Journey instead of so much focus on when it will end and how long ago something was.

When I was young, I was afraid of dying. This obsession began with my grandfather’s passing when I was age 10. He was a delightful man and a terrific grandfather. Losing him when I was a little boy put me in touch with the circle of life – my grandfather was gone.

His journey was over.

It has taken me a lifetime to understand how important it is to embrace The Journey and stop obsessing over the destination and what happened in the past. Sit back, relax, enjoy the flight, and keep your seatbelt securely fastened just in case there’s unexpected rough air. Keep your guard up as best you can for those sudden unexpected turns and be ready to face them with courage and dignity. Easier said than done. Navigate your way out and learn from the experience.

View every bad experience as education.

There are days when we tend to think, “Why Me?” Well – why not you? I listened to a sermon decades ago that made perfect sense to me. The minister told us Life is experiential. We are born to this world to experience – to live. We live happily through the pleasure, and we have to muddle our way through the pain. There are times when we believe we will never find our way out.

I’ve had an incredible journey – wonderful time in the sun. I enjoy a wealth of wonderful lifelong friends and the love of family around me. Couldn’t be more blessed. However, I’ve also been to hell and back – a very dark period in life where I believed I’d never find my way out. It was a dark gloomy autumn night in the middle of nowhere in rural America. I was lying on the bathroom floor in the dark wondering what to do next. Things were so bad I seriously considered ending it all. Then – I heard my infant son cry in the next room – a moment when I decided to stop feeling sorry for myself. It was a test of resilience and an invitation to become stronger. He needed his father – and I had people in my life who loved me.

The sun eventually came out and I had survived a rough chapter.

This is a lesson for all of us. No matter how dark it may seem – each adverse experience is an invitation to be stronger, to hang on, and fly through the weather. You will get through this – not always in the way you want – but you will survive.

You will also get the chance to live

Like a lot of us in retirement and in the twilight of our lives it easy to feel like there’s not much reason to go on. I get days like that. But – there’s always a reason to keep going. There are always people who need you to stay on. Volunteer and help others. The more involved you can become at serving others, the better you will feel about yourself.

Remember – there’s always a soul in trouble who needs your eye contact, voice, understanding, and love.

The circle of love is remarkable. Celebrate your birthday with a commitment to others. If you have grandchildren – they need your wisdom and warmth. There are plenty of civic organizations that need your support and experience.

The sun will come out and the rain will stop.