Doing What You Love

How many cliches can you identify that have to do with doing what you love, living for the moment and not worrying about tomorrow. The first one that occurs to me is "GATHER ye rosebuds while ye may,. Old Time is still a-flying: And this same flower that smiles to-day, Tomorrow will be dying." This is a delicious little morsel in "To the Virgins to Make Much of Time" by Robert Herrick.

I've uncovered numerous worthwhile quotes on the value of living every moment with all your energy. Another of my favorites is John Lennon's definition of life, "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans." I was touched by a sentiment from Ralph Waldo Emerson, "Life is a progress and not a station." And finally, one of my favorite scholars and sources of wisdom, Abraham Joshua Heschel, said, "Just to be is a blessing, just to live is holy."

What is the occasion for my reflections on the ephemeral nature of life? The recent death of someone who had no notice, no time to prepare and everything for which to live. He embraced life and gave it a squeeze on an ongoing basis. But as his life ended much too soon with much too much left to do, I find myself thinking about how we often live without the realization that time is to be savored instead of wasted.

This translates into reality as follows: The next time you say something like, "Someday, I'm going to study Italian," seek out a community college or private tutor to help you reach your dream. If you wait too long, you'll run out of time and never speak Italian. And maybe you'll have a thought that sounds like, "Gee, I'd love to learn how to throw pottery and make vases for myself." All kinds of opportunities are available to do this. Numerous studios provide classes, artisans often give lessons or again, the community colleges offer these courses on an ongoing basis. The most important part - take some sort of action.

We could spend endless hours on the ways not to spend time. Whining is the first one to occur to me, followed by self-pity, guilt, attempts to re-create the past or blaming others. What's critical is the commitment not to waste the time in the first place.

Want to go to Europe? Start saving now, put pictures of Italy on your wall derive pleasure from knowing that every day brings you closer to it. Want to be thinner and more attractive? Join Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig or whatever it takes to stop wishing you were otherwise because the longer you wish, the longer it will take to get there. Losing weight is a miraculous process. In addition to making you healthier, live longer (reducing wasted time) and feeling better, the vanity factor is enormous. Enjoy the process of having the opposite gender watching you evolve. If you've always wanted to play guitar, visit a pawn shop, buy an inexpensive guitar, learn ten basic chords and turn yourself into a rock star.

The lesson is simple: Start gathering some rosebuds instead of complaining about the weeds. My recently lost and cherished relative loved Colorado but died a few months before he had a long-awaited opportunity to visit.

Henry David Thoreau said it better than I ever will: "We live but a fraction of our life. Why do we not let on the flood, raise the gates and set all our wheels in motion? He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. Employ your senses." If you want to hear Italian, the key of C or sounds of a potter's wheel, make them happen while you can.