“Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body. But rather, to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming, ‘Wow, what a ride!’”
Robert Fulghum, American author
I watched the Oscars back in March. It’s kind of like a glamour and creativity Super Bowl for me. And so it was with surprise and delight that I watched Sandra Bullock win the award for best actress. Without knowing her, she always offered the
impression of being a decent and kind person, who lived in a world of vast pretense but showed none herself. Her speech attested to that fact and when I went to sleep that night, I went thinking, “Good for you Sandy, good for you!” (We are on a first name basis, of course.)
However, before the dust had time to settle on old Oscar, word broke that her husband had been involved in numerous extra-marital affairs and he turned out to be the jerk we all suspected him to be when first they wed. That night I went to sleep wondering if personal loss is a fair trade for professional success. No, surely it cannot be fair, and cannot be expected of us.
So it seems there is an ebb and flow to life that we all must accept. Even the rich and famous must accept this cycle of life. Perhaps a byproduct of the tabloids is to remind us that money can’t buy love or happiness.
This cycle would seem to suggest that all this running around trying to find balance between our personal lives and professional lives has been fruitless, and perhaps it has. Instead of fighting to keep the scales perfectly aligned, we should envision them more like waves to be ridden. Enjoy every one no matter how big or small, no matter if it is an account gained or a baseball game with your kid—each one is to be savored. And when we catch the “big one,” the perfect wave in one area of our lives, for God’s sake enjoy it. Enjoy it thoroughly and with a mindful knowledge that soon enough we will be brought back to earth for another of life’s lessons.
