FRIENDS AND LIFE
Two friends in British Columbia and I, in Arizona, share information, links to some amazing, creative projects, and some whimsy in the form of poems and stories. Not long ago, one of them posted the following 3 lines of poetry:
“Oh, to read
what he has read
regarding red…o”
I pondered the words for a few moments and then responded with:
“Oh to lead
Those who are led
Like dragging lead”
It was a brief, amusing exchange, meaningless to most people who will only see or read what appears and not give any thought beyond the words into any possible, deeper meaning. There may not be any kind of philosophical truth although we could explore that further. You would need to know us better and more about why we wrote what we did and what we have done for the past 40+ years. Another story for another time.
The tag line on my friends’ web site is “Thoughts, ideas, flights of fancy and other meanderings.” I love that. One describes himself as “Biologist, photographer, writer, seeker of spiritual truths, teacher, student, all around happy person!” The other as “Weaver of rainbows and dreams… and poetry.” My tagline used to read, “Change is inevitable. Plan carefully” and I describe myself as a long life learner, traveler, blogger and teacher.
My friends are lively, creative folks with whom I connected several years ago. They are much more artistic and accomplished than I although my background and work are somewhat different from theirs. There may be a few intersections where we have more touchpoints than we know. The point is that we found common ground and continue our friendship and exchanges with hope of meeting F2F. What we appreciate and hold in common are:
- Concern for the planet and regeneration
- Appreciation, respect and wonder for the world of nature
- Spirituality, kindness and thoughtful sensitivity
- Art, photography, and poetry
- Creativity, experiences and stories
- Honesty, clarity and integrity
- Love, laughter and good will
There is, as you might expect, much more than this having to do with our lives, living fully and mostly in the present. None of us knows what lies ahead and in spite of not knowing we keep on keeping on. Others sometimes wonder what fuels our journeys forward and keeps us engaged with living joyfully and continuing our exploration and discoveries about meaningful lives at this stage. This stage refers to the last quarter if you consider 25 years as one quarter.
My three line response above referenced years in leadership roles that I relinquished 12 years ago. Those years were not “dragging lead” as I thought it better to be the kind of leader who figured out which way the troops were going and then get out in front. I enjoyed those years, regarded challenges and problems as opportunities for growth and solutions. Now, after a decade in this final quarter on a less demanding schedule, I can testify to what I have said previously.
I know few people who come closer to the end and say, I wish I had worked longer. I encourage you to quit your job earlier, as long as you have a plan that will support whatever you say you want to do next. Or you can create something new that will give you the kind of life you have always wanted. It may take a little time, but it’s worth it and so are you.