I have said this before, but it bears repeating: I hate waiting! Even though I’ve talked about how there are lessons in waiting, I still do not find it enjoyable and will avoid it whenever I can. Unfortunately, waiting, like so many other things in life, is unavoidable. Wisdom would suggest I accept this and adapt, but at times my impatience prevents wisdom from having her way. This has been particularly true as I wait for certain dreams to manifest. With each day that passes without my dream coming into being, I am faced with the options to either adapt or sulk. Recently, sulking has been my preferred choice, which isn’t beneficial. I began to wonder why hasn’t my dream manifested? I’ve been doing everything I know how to do; why do I feel like I’m going backwards while others are being propelled? Why isn’t anything happening? When I finally was able to sit still long enough to listen for an answer, I realized that my perspective on life was not quite accurate, and it brought me back to a clip my brother once showed me.
In this video titled The Unsettling Truth About Life, the speaker opines that the point of life is not to simply get to some expected end, but enjoy the journey along the way. We do not listen to music or watch a movie solely for the end, if that were true then we would only play the last note of a song or only make the last scene of the movie. It is not the end that we enjoy, however, but the entire experience; the entire song or movie. He further states that this is true not just in the arts, but life in general. Unfortunately, we are conditioned to always strive for the next highest thing believing that once we’ve “arrived” then we will be happy. But life is meant to be enjoyed at all times, not only when you reach an anticipated goal.
This clip has stayed with me as a reminder to not rush through life, even though I often hit snooze on this reminder. I still find myself longing to fulfill my dream, and discontented at its delay. However, in my recent moments of silence and stillness, I was able to think more deeply about life as a journey and I had an epiphany. I often perceive the fulfillment of a dream as a singular event; i.e. receiving a promotion, getting married, having a child etc. However, the fulfillment of a dream is often not a singular event. Rather, what we see as the fulfillment is really just a part of living into your dream. In other words, the promotion only happened because of what you did before receiving the promotion, and now that you have been promoted you must work to maintain it. There are actions one must take before and after a dream manifests. Too frequently I find myself wanting to live life only in those singular moments of celebration and not the waiting periods filled with mundane routine where skills and abilities are refined. Ironically, though, it is those mundane moments that allow for my dreams to manifest and be sustained. I’ve been too preoccupied with rushing to particular moments, and not appreciating and enjoying my life that is unfolding around those moments.
Please do not misunderstand, I am not implying that I’m adverse to engaging in the hard work necessary for success; rather what I am trying to convey is my propensity to want to live life solely in those moments of celebration rather than preparation. Life, however, is lived mostly in those moments of preparation, engaged in what we view as mundane or monotonous. Therefore, we should not despise the mundane, because to do so is to despise most of life. You are either working towards a goal, or working to maintain that goal. This is certainly true with respect to relationships, for example. The wedding is the beginning, not the end of a commitment. While most people would love to experience the joy of their wedding day (hopefully your wedding was joyous), the truth is, most married days are not filled with that level of excitement. They consist of work, trying to figure out what to eat for dinner, taking care of the kids and trying to find quality time. Our task is not so much about trying to avoid these moments, but to be content and find joy in them.
I am not suggesting that life is drudgery, and we should simply accept that. My point is only this: life is lived largely in rehearsal or practicing. Thus, on those days when I hate the fact that I am waiting and feel like my life is standing still, I have to remind myself that this is not accurate. Instead, I am only rehearsing for what is bound to be a great performance, and I am trying to enjoy every moment!
–Until Next Time–
Palooke
