Life is long
Hit and Miss #22
We’re motoring right along, aren’t we? It’s February 2018, though apparently my brain doesn’t quite realize it—on Friday, I wrote down “December 2” as the date.
I’m in the middle of two wild weeks, enjoying a moment of calm. Co-op interviews are in full swing this week and next, so I’ve been reflecting frequently on the future.
Specifically, I’ve been reflecting on a conundrum: there are so many options for jobs, all exciting and all rewarding—which to choose? At times, the choice feels definitive and permanent: whatever I choose now, I’m locked in. But then I remember that that’s not true. To do that, I turn to a mantra that I’ve been reciting recently: Life is long.
There’s time to experience different pursuits. There’s time to slow down and enjoy a nice moment when you run into one. There’s time to mess up and fall down; there’s time too to stand up and correct yourself. We can pack many experiences into a life; if something doesn’t happen today, there’s tomorrow or next week or next year.
This flies in the face of the oft-bandied “life is short” mantra, which implies other ideas like “live your life to the fullest” or “live in the moment”. I don’t think these ideas demand a “life is short” mentality; they work just as well in the long term.
The key is to embrace both a hearty investment in the present and an open-minded perspective on future change. It’s important to appreciate both the joys of today and the potentially different joys of tomorrow. Recognizing that few choices are truly eternal pushes me toward new pursuits.
Life is long, but the days are short. I’ve still got much to do, and maybe you do, too. Thank you for spending a bit of your day with me. All the best for the week ahead!
Sent on February 4th, 2018.