When one has lived long enough to be considered a well-seasoned adult as I have, it’s very difficult to boil down life into one outstanding event. I’ve given a lot of thought to this question of what might be my most significant accomplishment. I’ve considered writing about receiving my bachelors degree, but that’s rather commonplace. I’ve considered elaborating on surviving a divorce, but again, a rather commonplace life event these days. Even publishing my first book seems underwhelming in scope given that it is just what writers do. [continued below picture]
Thinking about it I have come to the conclusion that perhaps my most significant accomplishment is much more ethereal than a mere event that marks time. You see, having survived divorce, the death of loved ones, and the highs and lows of personal economics, I am still optimistic. I have hope for myself and for mankind in general. I believe the glass is half-full and no matter what transitory events may befall me individually or us as a species we will survive. Not just survive, but thrive.
It is the nature of systems to fall apart, but people are built to continue. We are imbued with spirit – something that cannot be destroyed by the travails of life. And it is my spirit that wakes me to the actions of the day and settles me down to the dreams of night.
I know my spirit. I talk to it every day. I see it in the flowers and the rocks. I hear it in the wind and the rain. I feel it in every interaction I have with other beings. And regardless of what life brings, my spirit stands with me to brave the dark and embrace the light of it all.
So, what is my most significant accomplishment? My answer is simple. Living joyfully and gratefully in spirit; sitting down to the table of life and seeing it heaped with abundance. Nothing can ever be more significant or more rewarding than that.
