I love where I am in life now. I take time to reflect and journal and even go back and read and reflect on what I have written. I keep a Notes file in my phone for inspirations that come to me and I want to capture quickly. Reading that file this week, the following quote resonated deeply within. “Life is not some great monument to be built but simply an unfolding adventure to be experienced.” The rest of the note is “3 AM on April 18, 2022 from the depth of my depression feelings.” I remember that night clearly. Like many others, I was awake for a little while around 3 AM and I was feeling very down as my sabbatical was over and I still didn’t have any clear answer to what I should do next. Being very purpose- and results-driven, this not knowing is VERY hard for me. I can feel useless if I am not accomplishing. Then this quote popped in and I was able to relax and go back to sleep. Reading it now, I see that is the direction I have been moving since then. I am not building any monuments right now. I am taking care of my family, my sleep, my health, and doing some coaching and consulting that I really enjoy and some writing and lots of reading and deep discussions with friends both new and old. And it feels really good! I have had a great week without working on building any monuments. Maybe Michael Singer was right when he wrote, “You should be experiencing the life that’s happening to you, not the one you wish was happening. Don’t waste a moment of life trying to make other things happen; appreciate the moments you are given.” in The Untethered Soul. That’s the way if feels right now. I am really appreciating the moments I am given, whether it is a beautiful sunrise while out running with friends, sitting under the stars by my fire writing this, going to a costume party with my beautiful bride, coaching, cooking a nice dinner with and for my family, setting up a home in the Rockies, or driving cross-country with my daughter. My life is an unfolding adventure that I am experiencing. This is so much more fun than constantly striving, problem solving, or building. The key for me has been to let go and let God; to not try to control the outcome. It is scary as I don’t know where I am going ahead of time, and where my life has gone in the last year is much better than I could have imagined. It is working.
What monuments are you building? Is it fun? Meaningful? What will you get when they are done? Is that what you want?
What would happen if you started experiencing your life as an unfolding adventure? How would that feel, to make the most of the moments you are given?
Deep thoughts 😊 for a great weekend!
Art
PS: GO VOLS!
