Then, What?

Suppose you accomplished everything you wanted to in life? Sounds wonderful, right? Then what? What's left when you conquered everything you wanted to? No more mountains, trips, titles, positions, jobs, and events to conquer. We create "bucket lists" to do before we pass away. Yes, it's great to have done everything you set out to do, and retire peacefully, and look back at a life well spent. Enjoying little moments in our life can be great, too, such as having a chat with a new friend, or being with your child. Not everything has to be done in a grand and sweeping fashion. Don't get me wrong, as in a earlier post I stated "enjoy the moment" in the little things life has to offer. I see older people and wonder if they are truly enjoying their retirement, or if there is something more in their lives to do. Do we put them out to pasture and ignore the life experiences they accumulated, and tap into their reserve for their expertise they gained over years of living, or do we just pass them by? People still in their prime years should avoid this especially by letting their skills and talents rust. Have people fulfilled their lives, or are they at a crossroads and not sure what to next?

Take stock in yourself, and ask what do you have to offer, whether running for town council, or volunteering for your church. What contributions and leadership could you offer to a person or organization that is struggling and benefit from your help by being a mentor? Have a purpose when you get up in the morning, and make someone's life better, and in the process make yours better as well.

What's worse, a life unfulfilled with plans to be made and windmills yet to joust, or a life with no more goals and nothing left to acheive? Given the choice, I'd take the latter, because I would rather  look back at what I could have done with what I wanted to do, instead a life with no purpose beyond today.

Life Is To Be Shared

As the summer comes to an end, I think about all the plans I had that never materialized, places to visit, and events to see. But what I do remember most is the experience and friendship I enjoyed with the people I encountered. Travelling alone, you have to seek out fellowship and adventure wherever you can, and it doesn't take a lot of effort to find some if you try.

Being an introvert, it took me a while to appreciate this. I discovered that helping someone along the way and easing their burdens is not just the right thing to do and make you feel better, but can also develop a new companion along your journey, albeit a brief one. The bartender, clerk, fellow patron at a general store, or waitress at a roadside diner, could be the source of interesting stories, local color, and a lifetime of funny stories retold to loved ones. Take time to appreciate people for who they are, instead of what

In the end, the memories of friends, new and old alike, are the most important. Grudges and prejudices can be self-indulgent and ultimately self-destructive. Life is with people.

Challenge Yourself!

Find something to do you never thought about doing before. Not necessarily daring or dangerous. Just something new that would break the chains of sameness and personal inertia.


Write a story.
See a French New Wave movie.
Explore a lonely trail.
Listen to a new piece of music.
Volunteer for a cause.
Call an old friend or make a new one.
Reach out to the lonely.
Take a course in a new interest.
Run for an office.
Play a new sport.
Cook a delicious meal.
Take a stand.
Read a new book.

Whatever you do, realize it's a big Universe out there and waiting to be explored, awed, appreciated, and discovered in all its glory, even without visiting new planets. You may even find yourself out there somewhere, too. The world is bigger than us individually, but so is our little community as well.

Baseball Twilight

The evenings are getting colder in October, and twilight is approaching sooner, but we still have baseball to savor as the fall leaves remind us the the chill of night is coming.

The game of baseball, still referred by some as the National Pastime, has long been eclipsed by the NFL, and more recently NASCAR and MMA. It shouldn't be a surprise, as I wonder if baseball's character fits with the mood and the culture of the nation anymore.

For instance, baseball has unwritten rules about not showing up players from the other team. Call it sportsmanship, mutual respect, or old fashioned courtesy. The concept is still alive in a world of touchdown dances, showboating, and a look at me culture that wants its own reality show or viral video. Any deviation from the rule, however, could lead to close haircut from a pitcher's fastball, just to reinforce the rule.

Baseball involves subtlety, strategy, and suspense. Is the manager going to replace the pitcher, make the batter bunt, or order a double switch? In a world of 200 mph hour stock cars and the onslaught of fighters in an octagon, the nuances of baseball are less appreciated. It is still the game of tradition and respect in world of viral tweets over an iPhone.

Baseball, where the green diamond field belies the chill of autumn, the summers of memories, and a gathering of friends and hot dogs, continues.

Fear Loses Out

The world is not dictated by those in the peanut gallery constantly critiquing the doers, as if the Universe is on a comments section page for stinging barbs on those who attempt their dreams. It is, rather, for those who win if only because they overcame doubts, fear, and ridicule to do something meaningful.

Being an introvert, I have for years been reluctant to get into the arena, so to speak, for fear of failure
and mockery. The result was I was reduced to being a spectator in the passage of life. It has held me back, until ambitions finally prompted me to get out there with a positive outlook, and ready to fight.  Remember all of the fears you may have had, and where the common thread of them all was that they probably weren't as bad as you imagined the results. The real enemy was made up in your mind, and defeating you before you even started.

Ultimately, you have to set aside fears and doubts, and learn to laugh at yourself if you fail. People who criticize and laugh at you are those who in all likelihood did not have the motivation to get up and try something they always wanted to do. In any event, you will have tackled something you never tried before, maybe learned something about yourself, and broke out of the monotony of sameness. Any failure on my part is a good natured laugh at my attempt, and an appreciation of trying something I wanted to do, and the attempt is its own reward, no matter how hard the failure.

PS, regardless, that does not mean I will sing karaoke anytime soon, though!