Last night I was approached by a guy who offered to buy me a drink. I relented, and let him buy me a Steel Blonde, a great little beer that I have never had before. We chat for awhile about life, our careers, our home base and then he asks me the question that many guys ask me. It's the question about being happy here in Chicago, which leads to the question of being happy in general. Am I happy... in general?
Maybe it does sound condescending when I reply I have THE best life. I love my life. What's not to love? So, the boy, the man, the whatever, in the blue sweater looks at me disgruntled, he looks at me angry, and asks, "what makes your life so great, you are kidding right?" It's as if I have a secret, which I don't. It's as if he hates me for this, as if I'm hiding or lying, I'm not. I just choose to work with my life, not against it.
Why would I hate my life, this life? Yes, there are things that I would tweak, things I would adjust. I would have my dream career up and running, I would have an amazing artistic loft, or a little cottage by the lake, and most recently, maybe a love, but these are things that I look forward to pursuing. These are just the little added benefits to "life", things that make it fun.
The biggest lesson I have learned this year, the most powerful lesson that I was taught, is two part: One is that all the tremendous amount of pain that a person goes through, at different periods in their life, is just a part of it; you can't avoid it. It will happen. Someone will break your heart, someone will leave you, you may get sick, you may hit rock bottom; no one is immune. We can't protect ourselves, but that is the brilliance of it all. There is prolific joy in that.
The second is that everyone will leave you at some point. You will be abandoned whether through your choice or not. People will move on with their lives to something else, or they will simply pass away. This little reality taught me to just be happy with the moment, not the past or the future, but this moment. Enjoy the time you have with the people in your life right now.
Dude in blue sweater needs a little epiphany. Dude in the blue sweater needs to not get so angry with "rosy peachy girl". Whatever. There is nothing special about my life, it is what it is and I love it.
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