Thirst For Life

What is it about the nature of some of us that we can barely contain the hunger we feel for the sight of every day? Where does that come from? Why do some of us have that and others seem to be left cold with the prospects we face for a new adventure every day? Do some of us fear the future and hang back for fear of what may come? Is it the sense of optimism that some of us feel that makes us so eager to see the next day, while others are held back by being more pessimistic? Where do you stand? What does one’s attitude in this area say about the kind of life you have led, will lead?

I think this is really important. What do you think? When we are young, most of us, we don’t consider questions like this as we get on with the business living our lives each day. We are O so busy! We would rarely spend any time thinking about such things. But a pattern quickly emerges in the way we tackle the elements of our daily lives. If we are hungry, it shows!

I am thinking back to my beginning days. It seems to me that I was in a muddle in my earliest years. When the smoke cleared, I had formed the conviction that my purpose was to take on heroic tasks and my ambition was to make an indelible mark on the wall that marks human endeavor.

Then, I could hardly wait to see how things would unfold. So each day was a step toward this unknown but exciting future. Does that mean that I had a thirst for life? It was not just about being alive. It was about the potentiality that each day held, that eagerness for a new adventure in which I was intent on being a principal actor.

This is not a recommendation I am offering. This is just an observation I am making about a memory I have of my past. This attitude contains the inherent danger that in looking so exclusively at the future, one may fail to see and/or appreciate, important elements of the present that could be crucial for the people around you. I recognize now, in contemplating my past,that I was sometimes blind to the potential impacts the realities of my “presents” could have on those close to me. I failed to be as sensitive as I should have been that my narrow focus harmed, or that the risks I took, could have harmed, important persons around me.

Nevertheless, isn’t it important to be excited about life? Couldn’t that command our approach to all the elements of existence that we are forced to confront? Do we go forward hoping for the best outcome, even if we have to be ready for less than that outcome? But if we always expect the worst, why would we ever try for the better?

Each day of our lives is a precious gift that has been given us without our even asking for it. Why would we not embrace that, dwell on that, eagerly look forward to the turn of every page? The world has the potential to be a paradise. Why would we not be eager to assist in creating that reality in all the things we do?

Why would we not anticipate that we could partake of the possible blessings on offer? Wouldn’t that make us eager to see what is on the next page of our lives? Wouldn’t we have a thirst to see that future, partake of it? I always assumed that my near and dear would share and enjoy the benefits of the potential gains I saw and was eager to earn.

There could be joy for us just around the corner. I don’t know about you, but I have always been hungry to see what was around that corner. I have always searched for, sought out the things that might ensure that the joy I aspired to could be realized around that corner.

Finding benefits in life for others, in addition to those for myself, has been a great motivator. In my mind that objective was the one that was always worth working for. Seeing my kids and their kids, take their first big steps forward on their own has been thrilling.

These things have kept me busy looking forward for almost ninety years! What’s on your agenda?