Occasionally something someone close does shocks you to the core, spinning you suddenly into this reflecting pool where you start thinking about the people in your life. Any person can recollect times where they see clearly for the first time. Sometimes, what we see isn't good. Other times it reaffirms something we already knew. Today, one wanderer considers what she sees before her, and the world has slipped into sharp focus...  

Success is quite overwhelming. It has a habit of creeping into every part of a person's life, gathering strength and obscuring unrelated details. Friendships and hobbies suffer as the all-consuming motivation draws all our energies. How seldom do we actually have time to think about what we gave up. The very things that sustained our soul for years on end fade into oblivion with all the other trivial details, our time budgeted for other things more pressing. Slowly, we lose sight of them; accept our newfound sense of accomplishment without question. Deadlines, pressure, schedules and every other word in the lexicon that relates to work become our vocabulary. For a time any woman or man can forget who they are, lost in this fantasy world. One day we all must wake, snapped from the daze that took us unaware. Then it becomes clear. Without our work, we are nothing.

The terror this realization broods is unthinkable. 

Who were we before we got the job? The promotion? Before our lives became devoted to a cause that gave them meaning, what motivation carried us day to day? It is true that many find a new cause before abandoning the old one; Graduate University, find a job. Move up the corporate ladder step by step. Always pursuing the cause, the goal that will make our future brighter. A career to be proud of filled with joy and rewards that could only come from work ethic, fulfillment of material gain, status and dreams.  

It’s an illusionary world that fills an illusionary void. All sand slipping between grasping fingers... 

The only truth in that illusion is the loss of it some day. One day it will be gone, and that is a certainty. 

Putting your hopes in such a risk is madness! Would you bet money if you knew you would lose? So why put the value of your person, your very soul on such a venture if you know the end result? Youth is a dangerous thing. It lacks perspective to see long term. If the sum worth of you as a person is your career, ask yourself this. If you were without a career in the morrow, who would you be? The answer can be a scary thing to face. The reality for many of us is that life quickly breaks down when our aspirations fail. It can happen for many reasons; Sickness, conflict, economic times, retirement or just plain old bad luck! It isn't the ones who lived their career who are caught wanting. Retirement is just something we come to expect at the end. By then, the daily grind has removed our illusions about how we earn our keep. The longer we strive, the less emphasis we put on work, looking forward to the day when we needn't bother. Financial freedom is the best kind of dream, though many never fulfill it. After our bodies begin to slow down, lose the energy, the ambition; only then do we realize that it has left us with nothing. They say we rediscover ourselves as we age. Midlife crisis sets in as the material toys we accumulate no longer fill the void that has become chronic.

The patterns that sustained us for years bring no sustenance for our tired spirits, and we begin to remember our younger years with nostalgia and fondness... 

Why wait until you haven't the spirit to enjoy it! 

When was the last time you gathered your friends together to tell them how much they mean to you? What was the last book you read that wasn't work related? Where was the last place you went without reason or motivation save the pure enjoyment of the company and the scenery? When was the last time you realized that you were alive and marveled at the amazing world around you? And what have you gained? Fortune, money, status...all good things, necessary to live, eat, and put a roof over your head. That isn't the point. A certain amount of work will always be a part of your life! We learned those lessons early. But what child would finish their chores and look for more work to do? When money wasn't a concern we had freedom, and we reveled in it as every child should. These days, a person can never have enough money. Always something else to buy. Always another toy to own. At least when we were children, we weren't allowed to buy whatever we wanted. We only had so many toys. Then we grow up and that extremely simple message is lost to us in the frenzy to collect whatever we can find, and add it to our collection of junk. When was the last time you listened to your old CD collection? Why buy it if you never have the time to listen? We are obsessed with the new. Spend money, need another job. And it is killing our souls... 

But what is the moral of the story? 

Keep things in perspective as you live each day. Work smart, not hard to provide what you need and live within your means. Never let your career overwhelm the parts of your life that bring you fulfillment. Never kid yourself that your job is one of them. Friends are important, never let them forget that they are. Your time is important, never waste it on trivial things. Your soul is important, never lose sight of the things that feed it, nurture it and make it grow. In the end, what you build will be relationships, and they will last longer than any job, any house or any car. They will provide you with foundation, and your memories will build the manor you live in during the twilight years. The choice is yours what those memories will be. But if the inside of a cubicle is so damn important, maybe they'll let you take it with you... 

The workaholic's rhapsody. This weekend I cracked the cover of a new book and lost myself in a world of the author's design. The sense of loss was profound. I realized how long it had been since I took the time. 

I decided not to wait...