One of the things most of
us seem to struggle with, if our survival, in terms of safety, food, water and
shelter, are set for now, is the yearning for meaning. The sense of meaningful
in our day to day lives. When we're younger, if we've half a chance, we search
for meaning via acquisition, from the sense of being
admirable, valued in some fashion.
We try to acquire standing in our community, or
objects, people who are also valued to be around us, or things like well respected
abilities, occupations or stature.
One of the things I like most about slowly growing older is the increasing
capacity to settle down into days and nights enough to come upon the meaning
infused in the simple stuff of life.
It's not easy. Oh no. To not be able to necessarily go after additional skills
or better pay or opportunities or big projects or travel or things that
necessitate strength or health or money.
When all of that slows with our relations with the world at large, it is
possible to continue this vitality and sense of inquiry on our own.
It's just a little tough.
We must become the one who urges and the one who persists, the one who
validates the value ,and the one who sits in the sunset filled both with the sadness
borne of a more limited life, and the great good gifts our efforts have
afforded us today.
