Short Stories From 10 Years Ago – October 7, 2004

Short Stories From 10 Years Ago – October 7, 2004

Guilt-Free Living

Short Stories From 10 Years Ago – October 7, 2004 – I’m not there yet, but I’m working on it in fast and furious fashion. Okay perhaps not that quickly, but one day at a time. Carpe Diem is Latin for “seize the day” and that goes quite nicely with “just for the next five minutes” and all the other saying that we mere mortals use to try and keep ourselves on track in life.

I’m having some success lately with getting out of my house and actually doing some things other than working. My jaunt to Unionville for lunch on a lazy, sunny day lifted some of the fog from my eyes. I realized that life as I know it didn’t come to a screeching halt because I took an afternoon off and enjoyed myself. The weather during September and October has either been a gift from the great weather god or perhaps just a directive from Mars or Zeus.

It’s the August that didn’t materialize this year and I’m loving every minute of it. Dorothy called me this morning and she was having a “poor, poor pitiful me moment” so we went out to lunch at a Japanese restaurant, and then wandered around Pier One for half an hour before coming back home. Every little bit helps. I think she felt a little better when she left for home.

I had lots of work to get through today but nothing stamped – “urgent – critical or vital to the nation’s well-being”. Now that I’m finding my sea legs, it may be difficult for me to return to my former routine of sitting in my office and working non-stop. And why would I want to? “How much is enough” is a good question to help put some focus on how I’m living. Heck – it’s a good question for anyone to ask.

With the changes I’m attempting to make in my business and personal life in progress – it’s something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately. I recall one of my teachers in real estate school telling our class that “real estate is a business that requires “balance” and if you don’t establish it early on, then “it’s a career that will eat you alive”. I haven’t been “fully consumed” yet but the business has certainly gnawed away at my ankles and toes.

So here goes – how much work is enough? How much money is enough? How many new clothes are enough? How much jewellery is enough? How many technical toys are enough? The list could go on and on, and every person will have an idea about what is satisfactory or acceptable for them. However there is a lot more to living well than the acquisition of things!

I’m learning (slowly) that I need a lot less than I thought I did to feel a sense of contentment. I expect to work diligently but I don’t want to work all the time. I make a good living and I’d like to continue to do so but I don’t value money over all else. I like going out with friends but I also enjoy quiet evenings at home alone. I like to sit and read. I like a few programs on television and if I’m home I try to catch them every week. I enjoy my book club. I like sitting quietly with The Alphabet Boys or watching them play together.

I like exploring my spiritual path and learning new ways of looking at life. I’m hoping that as I acquire greater wisdom, I’ll start to truly appreciate my life. Part of maturing into an adult is learning genuine self-acceptance. Comparisons are odious and a death knell to the soul. It’s not possible to ever be the smartest, funniest, prettiest, most handsome, richest or most intelligent person. There will always be someone coming up behind to challenge you if you compare your success as a human being with others.

I’m trying to slow down, work smarter, play more, enjoy my life, determine what I really want and how I’m going to get there, laugh more, be less rigid, develop a more open attitude to people and be kinder and more accepting. A tall order no doubt but one worth moving towards. This is Thanksgiving week-end and I have so much to be grateful for.

I’m going to the opera, Lucia di Lammermoor tomorrow night with my friend Nancee. I haven’t been to the opera since 1999 so I’d say it’s about time. I’ve also been invited to two Thanksgiving dinners with family during the week-end. I’m going to combine work and play over the next few days and try to enjoy them in equal measure. That’s how balance is realized and it’s something I’ve been slow to learn.

The great thing is that I keep on trying. What better way to move forward and to lessen the “should” messages that keep creeping up on me. I’ve only been working seriously on this re-organizing of my life for the last couple of weeks. I’m making progress already, and that’s heady stuff. I can just imagine what the next year will look like if I’m able to stay the course. I’ll be writing post cards from a far away vacation as I sip a tall cool drink or walking down a sunny beach with the sand between my toes. It’s all about choice and I’m endeavouring to make new ones.