Yet and Still

So today I am about nothing in particular except to think about ways to improve my life.  I say that not because there's anything wrong with my life, but because to not think along those lines is to resign myself to the way things are as being enough. In other words, no need for more growth intellectually, emotionally, spiritually, or in my general well-being. That idea sounds as if I would be ready for the proverbial "rocking chair."

My recent hospital stay has made me very reflective in some ways. Things could have turned out a lot differently than they did. I could have ended up with a full-blown stroke that left me paralyzed or even led to my demise. Instead I got a tap on the shoulder from some spirit guide that whispered in my ear, "Jack, relax, enjoy life, laugh, love, and do what you can to make the most of the years you have left on this planet." 

There are some things that I know I probably won't be able to accomplish. I won't become that rock star that I wanted to be when I was seventeen; I won't grow any taller--in fact, I'm getting shorter than my original towering height of 5'7"; I won't ever become that world-famous preacher that I thought I might want to be when I was in my first year of college in North Carolina; there's a pretty good chance that I'll never write that great American novel that's Number 1 on the New York Times' Best Seller List for weeks on end; and for sure, I won't get any younger, chronologically speaking.

So where does that leave me in the grand scheme of things? Well, I can still play the guitar and sing for my personal pleasure and for anyone else who may enjoy what talent I possess along those lines; and I can practice and even get better in some ways. I may not be able to grow any taller physically but I can stand erect and be thankful that I can still be up on two feet. I can work on my skills as a speaker/preacher and treat them with respect as a form of who I am, and give thanks for those who are willing to listen to what I have to say. I can continue to write with a sense of purpose and enjoyment because you don't have to be on any list of best-sellers to be qualified to do so. And I can continue to work on not letting an old person into my form.

 The bottom line is this: the meaning of our lives is not based upon fame or fortune. It's based on how much we treasure it ourselves as each new day dawns as a gift from God.