Month: February 2022 (Page 4 of 4)

It’s a funny thing – the darkness. It would seem I’ve had a few – just as I’m sure other people have as well – negative experiences during the blackness of the night. Whether that’s hallucinogenic dreams and body aches due to the flu, a phone call that a loved-one has passed or sometimes straight-up anxiety because we have time to lay in our bed in the midnight hours as our mind runs free like a wild stallion on the western landscape reminding you of all your worries.

The night may just parallel the recesses of our minds at times. It would seem all hope is lost during those gloomy hours when there is an absence of light. Until, of course, the sun begins to rise and the skies slowly fade to blue.

It feels as if our hope is being lifted with the rising of the sun. Shortly our space is filled with light and warmth stretching to each and every corner. We shrug off the bleak views we once stood by just hours ago. We’re able to see what’s in front of us – to know what’s coming and where we’ve been. It’s comforting.

Or we can subscribe to faith. Blind as it may be, it may just be the answer to those long dark nights.

When I was younger I believed I would make a pile of cash – striking it rich – with some great new invention or becoming a famous actor and then coast the next 50-60 years of my life while laying around my home, exercising and going to see great shows.

One of my biggest realizations is that you never “arrive.” That image of pulling up to your “destination” in a black stretch limo as the crowd cheers your exit from the vehicle is flawed. Just a bit.

You never arrive. Why? Because you are constantly in process. Or at least you should be. The moment you sit back and begin to count your accolades and accomplishments is the moment you’re done.

I wished I realized that at a younger age. Not that I didn’t hustle, but it’s a perspective that I have benefitted from after understanding the big picture. When you fall in love with the process, then and only then can you have a healthy perspective of your journey forward. If we can stay away from focusing on the results and dive into the process, we’ll end up exactly where we need to be.

I have to believe the awareness to ponder our own thinking comes at a cost. To what degree I’m not sure.

A bird sings her song in the early mornings because it’s in her nature. There’s no stress, stage fright or anxiety about how she sounds or what the crows may think. She belts out her tune over and over again as she goes about her day. After all, she’s a song bird.

Maybe we overthink a bit too much, which can lead to a whole lot of nothing. Maybe we should engage in more “doing” and let the chips fall where they may. Or sing our song loud and proud and not worry about what our audience thinks.

After all, if you have to sing, then sing.