The sun sets on another day…
Another spectacular sunset, and another day thinking about all the good the world has to offer. There is a certain fascination with the light when you realize that there will never be another sunset like this one, or another day like today.
Was thinking about a lot of different things today and how sometimes trying to get a moment back is nearly impossible. Let me explain. When I was young Michigan was pretty much the only home I ever had, even though it was never my home. I often got lost in the moments wondering when I would be able to come back and until I was 17, I spent most of my summers there with my little sister. I can honestly say that feeling the Michigan breeze slide across me was as close to heaven on earth as I have ever gotten. It was a goal. It was something that called to me always.
I grew up. Well, I’ve kinda grown up. I’m gonna say I probably will never really grow up, but I suddenly had responsibilities when I was 18, moved out, bought a house, got a girlfriend, and went to college. All of those things built a picture of something that was a lot different than anything to reach for.
I do have to stop here and say that prior to turning 18 I had a crisis of faith with the church I went to, and it took a lot of time for me to research, understand, and deal with that. Perhaps I still do but I occasionally get letters suggesting I go one way or another and I have found that those do not always apply as well as some people think they should. I digress.
As I grew older, I kept trying to find the best days that I could. Desperately trying to hold on to positivity but each time I did it seemed weaker, lesser, far less than my expectation. One day as I tried too hard to hold on to something only watching it slip away, I realized they’re holding on to anything this is like an echo. An echo comes back to us with portions of what was said but it was never truly the same. As an echo ages and each time is reflected it slowly fades away until it is gone. So to was it for me. I would have an amazing day and try to do the same things over only to find it being less and less until it was no more. This frustrated me and often made it more difficult to try to get the results that I was looking for. Yes, it was frustrating.
I made a decision in my early 30s that it was time to approach the world a little differently and it was then that I found that I could make each day a new day with me at the center trying to guide positivity towards myself and others and perhaps then I wouldn’t have the problems I had experienced. Instead of trying to recreate, I tried harder to just be as good as I could be for myself and for everyone around me. Sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn’t, but always I was pushing for a happier path.
Maybe that’s the issue. Maybe if we just try to be the good people we should be, the days will just be fine or better than fine. Maybe we can squeeze the life out of every moment, and live, truly live.
I have heard from so many about how we are supposed to approach life, the number of books I have read, religious and non-religious, is staggering. The thing that I pull from all of that is there are some people that have lived and are trying to show others the way to live, and others who have never lived and are echoing forever. Of course, there are lots in between and lots of other items, but these are the two larger groups. I am reminded of a silly movie that I watched years ago where someone was being coached about raising a daughter, by someone who had never raised a daughter. The outcome was predictable.
Anyway, i hope you find a similar pathway. Somewhere in the midst of it all I hope you find that life is more than just an echo. Life is something to be experienced. Life is not slavery and if it is, there is a problem. I hope you find the way that is best for you, because that way is the way.
So as the sun sets on another day, I find myself smiling at the world with no echoes expected and no quarter given. To quote another funny movie I will find my way, i can go the distance. I hope that each of you find your way, not because you were told to, but because it is the way that is made for you. Mostly, i hope that your decisions make you happy every day and that you find the power to truly be yourself, no matter what.
Sleep sweet, love life, and hello hello hello…