The Beginning of the End

We’ve come to Florida for a bit to escape the harshness of winter and get a jump start once again on a better health routine – which really needs to follow me home. Our rental is oceanfront and I can’t help but notice that the furniture in each of the rooms is juxtaposed toward a large flat screen TV. The view from the window, in quite the opposite direction, is of the expansive Atlantic, morning purple clouds, slivers of sunlight welcoming a new day, shivering palm trees (it was 39 degrees this morning), rabbits, songbirds and even an armadillo to two. Probably not unlike my own home with the exception of the ocean, the palm trees and the Armadillo. And I ponder how much of our lives have been sequestered by media. For some the remote is the first thing we reach for in the morning and the last thing we put down at night. It seems that we are a media driven world.

The media tells the stories it wants to tell. It pushes and pulls on our emotions. Depending on the channels you watch it tells us what they want us to believe. Often the nightly news tries to suck any joy from our lives twenty-eight minutes a day and then ends with a thirty second feel-good story to remind us that life isn’t all that bad after all- and of course there’s the 14 minutes of pharmaceutical commercials that we’ve all come to memorize and sing along with. It is Breaking News or Broken News? The older I get the less I watch. I’m not saying it’s all terrible-there are some wonderful feel-good shows-documentaries- films-it’s good to be informed- but media has a way of shifting our own innate and natural, feelings – and prompts us to forget the bird song- that sun shining through the clouds- the snow on the white pine.

Reading through the comments from my last blog my heart was filled with well wishes and kindness- words are powerful- a few kind words strung together can go a very long way. But I was struck by one from my very own brother who reflected: “We all must recognize our personal health issues, be our own advocates and determine what may be necessary to preserve good health. It’s a real wake up call to be shown the beginning of the end.” The beginning of the end I thought, wow- I imagine we wake up to each day knowing that it may be our last, our days are numbered, but seriously-the beginning of the end-really struck me.

If this is the beginning of the end- do I want to live the remaining years -in front of the TV dreading what is and fearing what is to come? I need to be out there-breathing in the fresh air - having a chocolate ice cream cone now and then, catching the sunset, having friends and family over for tea. Clear the clutter or at least make friends with it. Do more of what I love.

The world has no shortage of advice-what to do-what not to do -how to think-how not to think-how to eat-what not to eat-how to drink-what not to drink-how to move-how not to move-what to see-what not to see-how to feel-what not to feel- the list is endless. Many of us are out there listening- wondering- pondering-deliberating. All of the experts and self-professed gurus are trying to help us along with life-helping us to live our best lives- helping us to let go of our worries and move forward on a clear, seamless path. The self-help section of the bookstore is growing-but are we?

We listen to this advice and the plethora of ‘should’ quotes online and think perhaps something is amiss. Is it OK to not want to travel the world – perhaps just have a life that you don’t need a vacation from? Is it OK to just be quiet at home and not need or want a bustling social life? Is it OK to sleep just six hours a night and enjoy the sunrise and a cup of tea? Is it OK to not fast but to eat sensibly when I’m hungry?

I’ve come to a place where my happiest place is home-feeding the birds who call my backyard home, my books, my guitar, my favorite pajamas. Have I seen enough of the world? For each of us that very well could be as individual as our fingerprints. I try not to be swept up in the tides of what everyone else is doing-what makes everyone else happy-the fear of missing out. I guess we reach a certain age where we’ve drawn the line-we know who we are-we move forward with our own certainty of how we want to live. Truly stripping life down to our own quiet selves helps us to get in touch with who we really are and reminds us of what is beautiful and important in life.

I try to listen and slide into my own inner home base. The most important voice you will ever hear…. is your own!