Written on September 6, 2009 and originally posted to my Facebook profile.
This has been what I call my "Henry David Thoreau" weekend. A sudden change in my original plans for Labor Day weekend has caused me to end up with a long weekend completely to myself. Not wanting to waste moments, I've been on a bit of a voyage of self-discovery of sorts in the Berkshires of Western Massachusetts--as good a place as any to get away, experience some breathtaking beauty, and also to reflect and re-assess life.
I've been doing much of this from the saddle of my mountain bike and hiking up various of the "mountains" around here (as I grew up out West, beautiful as they are, these are hills to me). It's been a weekend devoid of obligations, schedules, and technology (no phone, no computer). In fact, I'm writing this the "old fashioned" way--longhand, by lantern-light, as I enjoy the crackle of my last night in the Berkshires campfire.
A lot has been on my mind lately, and much of what seems to get to me boils down to an old lesson I have been "taught" again and again: from a human, material standpoint, one is never really satisfied. What I mean by this is that no matter how much material "stuff" you have, you always want more. This is what fuels greed; and greed is what has gotten us all into the recession we're currently in, after all.
For example, on the surface, it would seem that I have a reasonably good life. I am soon to be starting a new job that was virtually designed with me and my skills and aspirations in mind. I have a fairly nice car, and a relatively decent place to live. I live in a beautiful and interesting part of the world too. At a moment's notice, I can be on my way for a day trip to New York City, a weekend in Washington, DC, or a long weekend by the lake in Maine. But, I often seem to find myself lamenting over things I don't have, or ruminating over the things that could be better in my life. I think about how, at 42 years of age, I haven't managed to "settle down" with that someone special; or how I haven't been to Africa, Australia, or continental Europe yet. Many is the time I've seen guys about my age hanging out with their kids and wondered what it must be like, what a joy it must be to be a father.
Well, it's time to quit dwelling on the "have not" and focus on being more appreciative of the incredible good I DO have in my life. To paraphrase an author I respect greatly, "when we are grateful for the good already received, we will be fitted to receive more..." (Mary Baker Eddy).
I have seen a lot of amazing beauty and scenery this weekend, and had the chance to meet and talk to some really interesting people--some locals, and some tourists such as myself. I've also pushed myself physically harder on some challenging rides than I have since I was in my 20's, and I feel great! Not sore as one might expect (a bit tired, maybe), but just great!
Age is just a human measurement by which we limit ourselves. It's time to live an unlimited life!
[Footnote added on September 8th]--This is pretty much as I wrote it in a notebook at my campsite a few days ago. All I really did was clean up some punctuation and grammar here and there, so it would "sound" better. The quote I paraphrased is stated as I remembered it that night. The actual quote goes like this: "Are we really grateful for the good already received? Then we shall avail ourselves of the blessings we have, and thus be fitted to receive more." (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy, p. 3)
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