Saturday, July 1, 2023
I knew someone who had a chance to go to the Bahamas on a catamaran for a week with friends. But she struggled and hemmed and hawed about her inability to uncouple from work. What if they needed her? Do you know people like that? They are tethered to work that they haven’t the slightest clue about what life is really about.
When you are on your deathbed, you will not wish that you’d spent more time working. You’d wish that you had appreciated the joys of just being with people, spending time in nature, soaking in the world, or getting a hug from someone you love. You’ll not miss work, you’ll miss LOVE, and getting to know yourself, to experience the world, and to luxuriate in the simple joys so many people think they can’t “afford.”
What we call life isn’t life at all. It’s a role playing, a story of make-believe. The “external” who – the mom, the brother, the teacher, etc, is not more important than the deeper I AM, the unchangeable presence that has lived in your body all these years. When you connect to the deeper meaning of life it allows you to “play” your roles, but not to be played by them, so to speak. Don’t tie yourself into the illusion that work and roles are all there is to life, leaving out the rest – like having a fun vacation with friends. There’s lots to explore. There is more than work and identifying with the roles you play. You can appreciate and do well, but it’s not a heartbeat in your hand, and it’s not your work and identity that keeps the world held together. When it’s quitting time, put your toys away. Take your roles off of your mind and just be. There’s something there to explore – I promise.