The Best Laid Plans of Mice . . .
Well, it has been almost 2 weeks since I last got a workout in.
I'm not particularly pleased or proud of this fact, but at the same time I haven't pushed myself hard enough to change it. I've been either at work during my work-out times recently, or so tired from work I've been asleep. The fact that I was getting head colds and sinus infections every 2 weeks with regularity DURING the time I was working out regularly didn't particularly help either. I've been breathing much better now that I've not been working out. Go and figure THAT one out. It makes no sense. I still find time to ponder and think and pray however. The prayers don't feel as powerful or as pure as they were when I was physically exhausted and out under the stars (those times are just magical), but it helps to keep me balanced and for the most part in a positive mood.
Magical times, there's an interesting concept. Almost any time of day can be magical if you allow it to be. When I kiss my family before I go to work in the morning, I always do it with the knowledge that I may never get another chance, so I'd better make this one count. When I come home, the first thing I do is hold my arms wide open so my sons can leap up into them (occationally they'll just run in the other direction, which begins an amusing game of chase). These are every-day things that I never take for granted, but there are even more times that are designed to make memories last.
I went to a memorial service yesterday for a co-worker who crossed the Great River well ahead of his time. As I get older and I attend more and more of these events, I find it more interesting to just watch the people around me than to dwell on or miss the person who's memory we are honoring. I wonder how everyone else would like to be remembered, and how successful we all are at making the most of this precious time we have in this life. I'm amused at how much a lot of my co-workers pour themselves into their work, but at the same time I know they work that hard and that many hours because their work is important to them. It comes across as an over-developed sense of work-ethic, but that's not where it's coming from. These are not people who would sit on their deathbed and say, "I wish I had spent less time at the office." They would say they wish they could have had a greater impact on the people around them, at home AND at work.
I know I sound like an overly-optimistic individual who's got big rose-colored glasses on, and I know that this does not hold true for ALL of my co-workers. But I also know that it holds true for higher percentage of people in health-care than almost any other industry, and the people I work with must be at an even higher percent based on how many years they've invested of themselves to continue and make a difference there. I enjoy being a small part in that greater tapestry, and I am trying very hard to not take that for granted as well.
Brandon Lee was quoted while filming The Crow:
"Because we do not know when we will die, we get to think of life as an inexhaustible well. And yet everything happens only a certain number of times, and a very small number really. How many more times will you remember a certain afternoon of your childhood, an afternoon that is so deeply a part of your being that you cannot conceive of your life without it? Perhaps four, or five times more? Perhaps not even that. How many more times will you watch the full moon rise? Perhaps twenty. And yet it all seems so limitless."
I believe he hit the nail on the head, and this is half of what life is all about. MAKE THE MOST OF WHAT TIME YOU HAVE, BECAUSE NONE OF US KNOW HOW MUCH TIME WE HAVE!
The second half of what life is all about can be summed up in 1 word, "Karma." What goes around comes around. As my wife and our friends often quote to each other, "May you get what you deserve!" I firmly believe that everyone will be judged on their intentions and actions, and that SOME of those judgments come through while we're still here (and some are held over for Judgement Day). I have yet to figure out exactly how this is being measured, and I will probably never understand this. I am constantly witnessing examples of good people being forced to deal with situations that I don't feel they deserve (like my opinion really matters), and others who seem to live for nothing else than to pull everyone down around them.
It seems to be one of those constant cycles of things, where good and evil seem to ebb and flow in a constant tug-of-war. My rose-covered glasses again lead me to believe that on the whole good is winning out, and will continue to win out with the help of increased visibility and communication. I am continually amazed when I watch the news of bad things happening in the world, but I am comforted by the knowledge that now we can DO something about it. Historically so few people were informed of what was actually happening, that nothing could be done, and the evil could beget more evil repeatedly.
Now that chain can be broken, and we can more fully learn from past mistakes than we ever could before. This knowledge and wisdom from the darkness of our pasts will give us the strength and knowledge to avoid the pitfalls in the future (or to make entirely new mistakes, which is also a good thing actually).
These 2 points in life (make a difference and you get what you deserve) are the main and recurring themes in pretty much every epic, story, fable, book, movie, computer game, you name it. So what better quote to close this random rambling of thoughts than with some poetry/prose from Tolkien? Consider here what his allegory speaks of, and can it not be applied to the total human experience? (ok, you could argue against it being quite that grand in scope, but if you try, and listen to the language a little bit, I think you might hear what I hear in this)
"All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost.
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.
From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring.
Renewed shall be blade that was broken,
The crownless again shall be king."
I'm not particularly pleased or proud of this fact, but at the same time I haven't pushed myself hard enough to change it. I've been either at work during my work-out times recently, or so tired from work I've been asleep. The fact that I was getting head colds and sinus infections every 2 weeks with regularity DURING the time I was working out regularly didn't particularly help either. I've been breathing much better now that I've not been working out. Go and figure THAT one out. It makes no sense. I still find time to ponder and think and pray however. The prayers don't feel as powerful or as pure as they were when I was physically exhausted and out under the stars (those times are just magical), but it helps to keep me balanced and for the most part in a positive mood.
Magical times, there's an interesting concept. Almost any time of day can be magical if you allow it to be. When I kiss my family before I go to work in the morning, I always do it with the knowledge that I may never get another chance, so I'd better make this one count. When I come home, the first thing I do is hold my arms wide open so my sons can leap up into them (occationally they'll just run in the other direction, which begins an amusing game of chase). These are every-day things that I never take for granted, but there are even more times that are designed to make memories last.
I went to a memorial service yesterday for a co-worker who crossed the Great River well ahead of his time. As I get older and I attend more and more of these events, I find it more interesting to just watch the people around me than to dwell on or miss the person who's memory we are honoring. I wonder how everyone else would like to be remembered, and how successful we all are at making the most of this precious time we have in this life. I'm amused at how much a lot of my co-workers pour themselves into their work, but at the same time I know they work that hard and that many hours because their work is important to them. It comes across as an over-developed sense of work-ethic, but that's not where it's coming from. These are not people who would sit on their deathbed and say, "I wish I had spent less time at the office." They would say they wish they could have had a greater impact on the people around them, at home AND at work.
I know I sound like an overly-optimistic individual who's got big rose-colored glasses on, and I know that this does not hold true for ALL of my co-workers. But I also know that it holds true for higher percentage of people in health-care than almost any other industry, and the people I work with must be at an even higher percent based on how many years they've invested of themselves to continue and make a difference there. I enjoy being a small part in that greater tapestry, and I am trying very hard to not take that for granted as well.
Brandon Lee was quoted while filming The Crow:
"Because we do not know when we will die, we get to think of life as an inexhaustible well. And yet everything happens only a certain number of times, and a very small number really. How many more times will you remember a certain afternoon of your childhood, an afternoon that is so deeply a part of your being that you cannot conceive of your life without it? Perhaps four, or five times more? Perhaps not even that. How many more times will you watch the full moon rise? Perhaps twenty. And yet it all seems so limitless."
I believe he hit the nail on the head, and this is half of what life is all about. MAKE THE MOST OF WHAT TIME YOU HAVE, BECAUSE NONE OF US KNOW HOW MUCH TIME WE HAVE!
The second half of what life is all about can be summed up in 1 word, "Karma." What goes around comes around. As my wife and our friends often quote to each other, "May you get what you deserve!" I firmly believe that everyone will be judged on their intentions and actions, and that SOME of those judgments come through while we're still here (and some are held over for Judgement Day). I have yet to figure out exactly how this is being measured, and I will probably never understand this. I am constantly witnessing examples of good people being forced to deal with situations that I don't feel they deserve (like my opinion really matters), and others who seem to live for nothing else than to pull everyone down around them.
It seems to be one of those constant cycles of things, where good and evil seem to ebb and flow in a constant tug-of-war. My rose-covered glasses again lead me to believe that on the whole good is winning out, and will continue to win out with the help of increased visibility and communication. I am continually amazed when I watch the news of bad things happening in the world, but I am comforted by the knowledge that now we can DO something about it. Historically so few people were informed of what was actually happening, that nothing could be done, and the evil could beget more evil repeatedly.
Now that chain can be broken, and we can more fully learn from past mistakes than we ever could before. This knowledge and wisdom from the darkness of our pasts will give us the strength and knowledge to avoid the pitfalls in the future (or to make entirely new mistakes, which is also a good thing actually).
These 2 points in life (make a difference and you get what you deserve) are the main and recurring themes in pretty much every epic, story, fable, book, movie, computer game, you name it. So what better quote to close this random rambling of thoughts than with some poetry/prose from Tolkien? Consider here what his allegory speaks of, and can it not be applied to the total human experience? (ok, you could argue against it being quite that grand in scope, but if you try, and listen to the language a little bit, I think you might hear what I hear in this)
"All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost.
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.
From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring.
Renewed shall be blade that was broken,
The crownless again shall be king."
Comments
And LOTO --? So nice :)
Shulz - I like your theory. I'll try it.
ME- I hope your little one is already sleeping regularly! That would be a great blessing.
P.S. I'm evil what has begat evil. Check my latest journal post for full color proof. :P