Contemplations on Life
Do you ever feel like this world we live in pulls us in so many different directions? Thoughts like, if you aren't living a life that is perfect then something is wrong, if you aren't travelling enough, being seen in the right places, wearing the right clothes, looking the right way... the list can go on!
Do you ever feel like your life is a constant of, if I just get to this promotion then it will be great or when I have this house, this husband/wife, a child, a dog, or that holiday.
Why do we wish our lives away, why are we always looking for the next step to make us feel fulfilled and happy?
As I am about to hit 38 (how the heck did I get here!), it is making me reflect and contemplate about just what my life is, am I happy and what really is happiness, what more do I want, will I be able to look back and say 'that was a great life!'. But then who is to judge what is great?
As I sat at my Grandmothers funeral a few months ago and thought about her legacy, the family full of and soon to be, 4 generations; all the peoples lives that she had influenced, the communities she was involved in, the organisations she was recognised for, it did get me thinking - what will that be for me, and is it the same in this day in age, as it was back then for Grandma.
They are certainly different times, however we all still have similar opportunities. The opportunity to be involved, to commit to a passion and throw ourselves in wholeheartedly. And then I stop and think, is that possible whilst living in a big city, or do the people who really get involved are they from communities where you can be a community, you aren't strangers living in a building together or passing each other in the supermarket.
Feeling so grateful to have spent my early years growing up in a community where it was a true community, where you could 'run away' to the neighbours house and you were safe, where if there was a flood someone would workout delivering food/mail on horseback or where you could all put the word out that the game was on T.V. as you had a generator to get the power back.
Maybe this is just ramblings, and the need to download my thoughts as a friend recently pointed out to me a quote from Hemingway:
"There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed."
So I decided it was time to sit down and see what flowed, and as I am listening to The Power of Now and working on being in the moment, not worrying about what is in the future nor what has been in the past, to really focus on this moment right now, to be present and mindful and when I find myself going further and worrying about my legacy, or where I'll be in 5, 10, 20 years, I need to pull myself back and focus on this moment that I am in right now and to enjoy it.
“Realise deeply that the present moment is all you have. ... The more you are focused on time - past and future - the more you miss the Now, the most precious thing there is.”.
