“It’s a journey with my soul that I am taking, an open-ended dream I don’t want to waste.” - Kate Wolf, (1942-1986) from her song “An Unfinished Life.”
OK, I admit it. I’ve been thinking a lot about the meaning of life lately. Or, to be much more specific, the meaning of my own life for me. I’ve been thinking about what I need to do before I die, and what my true motivation is when I do anything.
I received a very good tip when I watched President Obama on The View the other day. I enjoyed his philosophy of life: “If I wake up everyday and know I’m doing a good job, tomorrow will take care of itself.” From these words I realized that I have been focusing far too much on my future and missing out on the NOW of my life. Say what you will about Obama, he seems to be an intelligent, decent man who believes in this country and the power of its citizens (us), to transform ourselves.
Then I watched the excellent film “A Single Man” yesterday. This is about a deeply depressed midlife gay man (played by Colin Firth) in the 1960′s who has suddenly lost the love of his life. At one point this character has a discussion on the meaning of life with one of his much younger students. He says the future is death.
This is true and we try so hard to deny it, instead of embracing the fact that we may die today or forty or fifty years from now. So with that clear understanding, what should we do today? I decided to revise my previous decision to seek more fun and meaning in my life. I will now pursue any activity I find fun, interesting or worthwhile, or some combination of those three.
We all could use more fun in our life. Fun generally makes it all worthwhile. And things that are interesting help to keep life fun. But I also need to feel useful to others. That’s just a part of who I am, and I accept that in myself. It makes me feel GREAT when I know I have made even a small difference in improving someone else’s life.
So there it is. Focus on the NOW, actively pursue fun, keep it interesting, and add a little bit of usefulness whenever you can.
“There is no past. There is no future. There is only this moment.”
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi Laura Lee — You might be interested in a new kids book that looks very appropriate for grownups too. It’s “What Does It Mean to be Present?” by Rana diOrio. Here’s a review: http://www.thesmartmama.com/blog-book-tour-what-does-it-mean-to-be-present/
Laura Lee,
Great post. I thought I’d share my philosophy on what constitutes a successful day. If I am able to give love to someone… then I could die tomorrow knowing that I’m satisfied with the way I lived today. It’s more motivating than anything else, and an easy way for me to gauge at the end of the day if it was a day I lived well. Love can be given in many ways… it might be conveyed through helpful advice to a friend or colleague. Or an email that helps someone get further along. Or a returning a call to someone who didn’t expect it. When I speak to a group, I know I’ve connected with at least a few of them as the appreciation is shared when I finish. And while it’s easy & important that I give my wife & close family & friends different forms of love everyday, I feel far more fulfilled when I have also been able to give love to others I am less close to, especially through work I am passionate about. So thank you for giving me the opportunity to share some love today with you and your readers via this comment!
Thanks for this reminder. I get caught up in worrying about what has happened or what’s going to happen, and I forget to enjoy what’s happening.
The now is really all we have…only this moment! -LLC
I recall in years past, after my Life had taken a difficult turn, that I would schedule my weekends to make sure I was busy and occupied at all times so my mind wouldn’t drift back to dark places. I was so desperate for acceptance that I found myself abandoning my plans whenever I found myself in a situation where Life was working, where I felt accepted. I stayed with that opportunity until it played itself out. My weekends ended up not at all as planned but even better when I allowed Life to play out on it’s own schedule.