A human lifetime is extremely short in the grand scheme of an entire (infinite?) universe. I often think about how short life is to spur me on if i feel slightly off track. As in the above number 22,265 i decided to do a quick calculation which was after my birthday this year, how many days have i got until im a hundred years old?. Now that doesn't seem a very long time to me when put into days plus the highly likely fact i might not get anywhere near 100 years old. So, not knowing how long we have left in this lifetime we should really concentrate on living a good life with good people, more laughter, more fun and more doing whatever makes us feel good. I'm not being morbid i'm being realistic, old death and his scythe will come knocking.
WORK HARD, BREAK HARD...
There's a saying that if we work really hard then we can 'break' (rest and play) hard. I understand working hard at something you enjoy but the majority of us are going to jobs that don't inspire us and practically turn us into mindless zombies where we all fantasize about our next holiday or just counting down the hours and minutes so we can escape the mental 'prison' we feel trapped in. Fast forward years later and you realize you've been working hard at a job(s) where the harder you worked you only profited the company bosses while you might be lucky to get a tiny pay rise that barely covers the costs of inflation. I've seen so many people put in crazy weekly overtime hours for the good of the company, year upon year only to be laid off in what seems to me based entirely on not constantly kissing the managements backside. You see we are social creatures on a scale of introverted to extroverted personalities with job environments that better suit certain individuals over others.
HOORAY RETIREMENT = PLAYTIME...?
Shouldn't this be the case, all those years spent working, you may have a house paid off now, savings tucked away or neither, either way, now is supposed to be your time where you can pick up those old hobbies that you just didn't have time for whilst you put in those extra days work instead. Well hopefully you are in great shape both physically and mentally and really ready for the adventures that await you. Unfortunately many have deteriorated with all manner of concerns, bad backs, varicose veins, gout, you name it. The fact is that many by retirement will not have that same enthusiasm or simply cannot function at their optimal prime state due to time and good old wear and tear.
BALANCE...
Now i know people are living longer and in better shape at 70+ than ever before but why wait until retirement. That's why balance is needed, a healthy balance of work and play is a must because you cannot get those days back and when you finally think its time to do those things you've put aside for so long, you might not get a chance to. So just do it (where have i heard that?), get that keyboard out and play a tune, go climb those hills, learn a new language, photography, drawing, painting, running, ju-jitsu, chess, whatever, if it brings you joy and inspiration then crack on with it, because you never know when the grim reaper may pay a visit.
IT IS NOT DEATH THAT A MAN SHOULD FEAR, BUT HE SHOULD FEAR NEVER BEGINNING TO LIVE.
-MARCUS AURELIUS
AS A WELL SPENT DAY BRINGS HAPPY SLEEP, SO A LIFE WELL SPENT BRINGS HAPPY DEATH.
-LEONARDO DA VINCI
KEEP WRITING :)
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