One of the great blessings of working from home is that I get the opportunity to correspond with a range of people whom I otherwise would not. Two of those interactions inspired this article. One where I was moved to write that life is precious, the other where I wrote drink it all in.
I kind of surprised myself both times . Not because they’re particularly insightful statements – but because I dared to write them. It’s amazing how far I’ve come on this journey. My book Postcards From Hell leaves little doubt that the young man who went by my name lacked the insight to see such things. Even if he did, he would have lacked the courage to voice them.
It’s a privilege to be here
Towards the end of the book, I make the observation that it’s a privilege to be here. Recent events have brought that sentiment in to sharper focus. In the broader context, none of us are here for a long time. We have been given a great gift and should make the most of it. I don’t want to go all metaphysical on you, but I’ve journeyed down enough rabbit holes seeking answers to life’s mysteries to believe that it doesn’t end here. There is much more to us than the various bean counters would have you believe.
This place is truly magical. Only now, as my body starts to fall apart and grow fatter and wrinklier am I starting to appreciate just how magical it truly is.
These days I try to spend an hour walking my dog around the streets of Rowville, which has been my home for the past twelve months or so. I used to walk with one eye fixed to my phone, trying to keep up with various business messages and news items. I don’t do that anymore. I’ve opened my eyes.
In all its forms life is precious
I see that now and my eyes drink in sights and sounds that I’ve either been too dumb or too busy to notice before. Trees are green – we all know that. I’ve never appreciated how many shades of green nature offers, nor the calming influence of those various shades.
So, I walk with eyes open, spying the parrot chirping in the tree above me, pausing to marvel at a soaring white cockatoo as it takes flight and grinning like a kid in a toy shop as I watch white cabbage moths dance lightly on the breeze going about whatever business they have.
Somehow, I haven’t noticed these things as I’ve gone about the business of earning a living. I suspect that that ultimately is a test for all of us. It is easy to get lost in the minutiae of the daily grind while the magic of nature and life carries on around us.
Our time is finite. Do we need to spend all of our time chasing trinkets and trappings of success? Remarkably I find myself recalling a passage from the new testament (something that I’ve neither read nor heard for most of my adult life) What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul?
What is a soul if it isn’t the pure essence of who we are? I could spend hours exploring that rabbit hole. I probably will, but not in print. Not yet.
Life isn’t always kind. At times it can seem like some sort of Satanic lottery where all the dices are loaded. Ultimately though, its magical. Every second counts and is to be valued
Life is precious. It is a privilege to be here. Drink every last drop in. It won’t last forever.
Peace.
Originally published at Mark Hodgetts.com under the title of Life Is Precious Drink in Every Drop