Reminder

Funny how many things can change just in a short time. Funny? Hmm. To reconsider.

Once again, I recall the words of my grandfather. He was a man with many faults, but these words I will always remember from him. “What you can do for yourself and to yourself, no one else can.” The well-known “you’re your best friend and worst enemy” in disguise if you wish.

What’s the whole point of this thing we’re doing here? We’re all looking for meaning in life, but what is it? Is it to become as great and powerful as possible, to build huge monuments, to be mentioned in history books for generations to come? Certainly, leaving such a heavy trace would have quite an impact, but there are only a handful of people capable of doing that, both in a good and in a bad way. For most of us, life is rather mundane in comparison.

We’re all doing our best, struggling for something, reaching beyond ourselves, fighting every day. For what? For happiness? For satisfaction? For pleasure? Which is the measure?

It looks to me that happiness takes the lead here. I guess we’re all trying to be happy, as best as we can. It’s not always easy, but it’s not always hard, either. It all depends on what makes us happy. And, surprising as it may sound, that is a choice.

For some, money does the trick. Others like cars, sex, power, things material and not, things that all bring a different kind of happiness. Some last a lifetime, others pass like the wind. Some depend on us, others are out of our control. The priorities that we set are the ones that define our happiness.

It is important to keep in mind that, much as life itself, happiness is also a rather personal affair. We are each responsible for living our lives, and we are each responsible for our own happiness. Expecting happiness from someone else is quite similar to expecting someone else to live our life for us. They could try to do it, but it wouldn’t work out very well in any case. And we wouldn’t enjoy it, ultimately.

I’m always saying to myself that every once in a while I should stop and think about what I am doing and where I am going. I should take some time to breathe, to look around me, to understand what is happening, to allow myself to take the moment for what it is and relish the present. At times, it is a bit hard, especially when one passes from a turbulent whirlwind to almost total calm. That’s a small period of adjustment, the one at the beginning of the calm. Getting used to it takes a little bit of time. It also takes some effort to stop actively looking for something to do and fill in the palpable lack of pressure.

I guess it is time to adjust. So many things are different, including me. I should stop and breathe, appreciate the present, take it one step at a time, and keep it simple. I should also remember: where, who, how, and, most importantly, why. Where I’m going, who I’m meeting, how I get there, and why it matters.

Because, ultimately, “what you can do for yourself and to yourself, no one else can.”

But with some help, you can do things for yourself you’d never be able to do alone.