SUNRISE - January 12, 2011

“We wait. We are bored. No, don't protest, we are bored to death, there's no denying it. Good. A diversion comes along and what do we do? We let it go to waste... In an instant all will vanish and we’ll be alone once more, in the midst of nothingness.” – Samuel Becket, Waiting for Godot.

January 12, 2011 Sunrise 7:23 am

So, does this imply (or even shout) about the beauty, pureness and value of diversion?  Does doing nothing with your moments place you in the midst of nothingness?  Does embracing the vast multitude of adventures (external and internal) place one squarely in the deliciously perilous path of diversion?  Dangers abound with every adventure, every bold stride, up, down, and around the cliff-side trails we may take in a fully realized life.

It is the invisible signs of danger that we should worry most about.  One can obtain a Radon or Carbon Monoxide detector for your home to protect you from the colorless, odorless gases that can kill.  Because you can’t touch it, taste it, see, it or smell it…does that imply that it doesn’t exist.  No.  Only your next of kin and the coroner can testify to its existence.  For you, it is too late.

Behind that rock, off to the side of the stream of living, is a nice safe spot with no obvious danger signals, as to the inevitable erosion of our given TIME.  As there are no obvious signs of peril with deadly gases in our home, does that mean that there are no apparent hazards of a dormant, unfulfilled life? 

Where is the life-unrealized-detector we can plug into to be warned of dangerously toxic levels building up by not living life to its fullest potential?  Can one pick up a handy, life-altering-warning device on eBay, at the hardware store or even at church?  I have walked by the shelf displaying radon detectors a hundred times and never acquired one.  Am I subconsciously wagering that the $11.95 is more valuable to me than to protect me and my family’s life?  Am I even conscious of the decision (through indecision) I am making?  One is now installed.

Does one have to be on their deathbed, muttering “if only I had…” to grasp the cruel lessons of a life unrealized?  At the end of our days, which memory gives us more warmth in our final hour? 

“I took that irreplaceable week out of my bank of time and just hung out, relaxed, watched TV and just chilled, I can’t quite remember the details.

or

“I took that week out of my irreplaceable bank of time and hiked the treacherous back mountain trail in Peru to the lost city of Machu Picchu and I remember quite vividly the unspeakable beauty and adventuresome romance of seizing the day”. (Thank you Sharon and Peter Chamberlin)

We cannot live every week that way, but we should have a bucket load of them in our personal story.  Perhaps we can enhance our story by spending TIME on behalf of  a worthy cause, pursuing a new skill, gaining knowledge in a hundred new ways, or simply the most personal and perhaps, the most perilous of all adventures: simple, quiet introspection.

There is much to be said about living our days, so we can be proud of the way those around us will remember our life, but more importantly, there is more to be said about spending our precious time in a way, so we will be proud of how we remember ourselves.  

Count your Sunrises.  Every day holds new promise of a life fulfilled.

“To live our unlived life is to become fulfilled, to bring purpose and meaning to our existence”.  Robert A.Johnson  ‘Living Your Unlived Life: Coping with Unrealized Dreams and Fulfilling Your Purpose.’

rlw