“My favorite things in life don’t cost any money. It’s really clear that the most precious resource we all have is time.” – Steve Jobs
The view from my living room balcony, from which I’ve been watching fall come to my apartment complex — because I’ve had time to do so. — Photo by Pat Bean
“Yesterday’s the past, tomorrow’s the future, but today is a gift. That’s why it’s called the present.” Bill Keanne
What Holes?
Once upon a time, when my life was extraordinarily complicated, I told a psychiatrist that I would be OK when I got through whatever the current crisis was at the time.
A fall leaf and a wooly bear caterpillar, which some say can predict the upcoming weather. — Photo by Pat Bean
He then asked me what would happen when I had no crisis to face. I thought it a stupid question until a few years later when my life suddenly did become crisis free – except of course for the occasional sh*t happens incidents that hit everyone. I discovered that without the stress of surviving one emergency situation after another, there was a great big hole in my life.
It took a while for me to adjust, and many mistakes along the way, before I filled up that hole. I did it by staying extremely active, especially in the outdoors. I hiked, I skied, I rafted, I sailed, I bird-watched and I canoed. And when I wasn’t doing one of those things I was most-likely at work or sleeping.
But because I loved my job so much, I knew that when I retired there would be a big hole once again in my life. That simply wouldn’t do. So I filled it quickly by selling my home and taking to the road full time in an RV. Every day was a new wonder full of route planning, sight-seeing, driving, hiking, bird watching, meeting new people and learning new things.
I stayed on the road, traveling this awesome country for almost nine wondrous years. But then it was time for that life to end.
Three years ago this month, I settled in a small apartment in Tucson. Of course that meant there was another hole to be filled. But I only partially filled it this time around, leaving plenty of time for my mind to gallivant the world from an armchair.
While I still take a few short hikes, write a bit every day, play around with my water colors, do a bit of bird watching, take in a couple of local plays every month, walk Pepper four time a day, and have a friend over a couple of times a week for happy hour, that still leaves plenty of down time, something I’ve never had before in my life.
I love it. I never knew before how much time alone I needed, and would treasure so passionately, until I had time to be alone to simply be with myself.
There are no holes in me.
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Bean Pat: Sunday Meditation http://tinyurl.com/z7jm9qx Positive thoughts in quotes. I loved them.
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