Sunday, June 24, 2007
what we chase after - Sunday, June 24, 2007
today’s Musing written and published from south Calgary, near Fish Creek Park
7C/45F(high19C), this morning’s clear sky will yield to afternoon thundershowers, ‘summer on the prairies’ is here; Gusta disappointed - that rabbit was so close, right in front of her separated only by a chain link fence – then gone like a shot; wondering what an interesting hare-racing spectator event that would be, I resisted temptation to unleash her just so she could have done it; I’m sure the rabbit could have used the sprint practice – no harm would have come to any of us and Gusta would have felt like the inventor of the dog chases rabbit experience, something unique to her in all dogdom
that which we chase after - in our actions, words and thoughts, often sits right in front of us (no chain link fence to stop us) – an experience there for the taking, no work or words required . . we can have them if we want them; we too often think these choice moments, these moments of choice, are in some way or the other are problems unique to us, only us – they are not unique, but they are ours
I am not your teacher unless you allow me to teach you, not your tour guide unless you let me lead you, not your mentor unless you want that, not your student unless you open yourself up to teaching me, not your buddy or your nemesis; I am the holder of a mirror – things you see in my words are things you know and experience, things you don’t see are ones you’ve not experienced yet . . or possibly ones you’ve set aside . . some might be worth chasing after
here is a ‘what if?’ for you: you have the opportunity to be the final experience of someone’s life before they expire, if it were the last time you talked to them – ever – would you have talked to them about the things you talked about, said the things you said, left the things unsaid that you left unsaid?
of course not . . but who knew?
life is at one moment all so very new, so very old, so very warm, so very cold; we are solitary beings in a populated place; we are in so very few ways unique or distinctive; we wrestle with the same issues, problems, demons and inconveniences of life as do many thousands, hundreds of thousands or millions every day; we race to bookshelves, the internet or the couch to get someone else’s advice only to reject it because we ‘know ourselves better’ than that, knowing that how we will chase an opportunity, an idea, an interest . . or someone . . will be so original, personal, private and singularly successful . .
poppycock; today there will be thousands (or maybe hundreds of thousands or millions) born, thousands will die; thousands will start a job, thousands will retire, thousands will have their first ice cream cone, thousands will have their first date, first kiss, first time; many will have their last meeting, last walk, last meal, last chat with someone; the next person you talk to, walk with, touch, eat with, sleep with, play with, argue with – the next person you touch will likely not be your last, but you might be their last encounter; what if we changed how we deal with this, how we deal with ONLY this one thing about ourselves?
forget all the rest; don’t struggle to change anything else in your life, not one thing except THIS ONE thing; each chat you have with someone (it could be the gas bar clerk, the 411 operator, the family member, the person on the next seat, the next pew or the next pillow, in the next minute, next hour or next day) . . . imagine changing just this one thing; if you do the math there is probably some outrageous statistic to prove how rare this is, but 6.5 billion of us will have a ‘last experience’ on earth – the next conversation you have with someone might be just such a last experience; sure, odds are low, but the probability is not absolute zero – it could be their last and you are witness to it, part of it
imagine then, if your communication with EVERYONE you encounter might just be the very last experience of THEIR life (or yours)
or, the odds of this are much higher, a uniquely new one that might be worth chasing after - no need to do the math, trust me on this
Mark Kolke
223,992
200.4
Musings need not be a monologue, but to make it a dialogue is dependent upon your responses, which are welcomed - please write me with your feedback/comments.
7C/45F(high19C), this morning’s clear sky will yield to afternoon thundershowers, ‘summer on the prairies’ is here; Gusta disappointed - that rabbit was so close, right in front of her separated only by a chain link fence – then gone like a shot; wondering what an interesting hare-racing spectator event that would be, I resisted temptation to unleash her just so she could have done it; I’m sure the rabbit could have used the sprint practice – no harm would have come to any of us and Gusta would have felt like the inventor of the dog chases rabbit experience, something unique to her in all dogdom
that which we chase after - in our actions, words and thoughts, often sits right in front of us (no chain link fence to stop us) – an experience there for the taking, no work or words required . . we can have them if we want them; we too often think these choice moments, these moments of choice, are in some way or the other are problems unique to us, only us – they are not unique, but they are ours
I am not your teacher unless you allow me to teach you, not your tour guide unless you let me lead you, not your mentor unless you want that, not your student unless you open yourself up to teaching me, not your buddy or your nemesis; I am the holder of a mirror – things you see in my words are things you know and experience, things you don’t see are ones you’ve not experienced yet . . or possibly ones you’ve set aside . . some might be worth chasing after
here is a ‘what if?’ for you: you have the opportunity to be the final experience of someone’s life before they expire, if it were the last time you talked to them – ever – would you have talked to them about the things you talked about, said the things you said, left the things unsaid that you left unsaid?
of course not . . but who knew?
life is at one moment all so very new, so very old, so very warm, so very cold; we are solitary beings in a populated place; we are in so very few ways unique or distinctive; we wrestle with the same issues, problems, demons and inconveniences of life as do many thousands, hundreds of thousands or millions every day; we race to bookshelves, the internet or the couch to get someone else’s advice only to reject it because we ‘know ourselves better’ than that, knowing that how we will chase an opportunity, an idea, an interest . . or someone . . will be so original, personal, private and singularly successful . .
poppycock; today there will be thousands (or maybe hundreds of thousands or millions) born, thousands will die; thousands will start a job, thousands will retire, thousands will have their first ice cream cone, thousands will have their first date, first kiss, first time; many will have their last meeting, last walk, last meal, last chat with someone; the next person you talk to, walk with, touch, eat with, sleep with, play with, argue with – the next person you touch will likely not be your last, but you might be their last encounter; what if we changed how we deal with this, how we deal with ONLY this one thing about ourselves?
forget all the rest; don’t struggle to change anything else in your life, not one thing except THIS ONE thing; each chat you have with someone (it could be the gas bar clerk, the 411 operator, the family member, the person on the next seat, the next pew or the next pillow, in the next minute, next hour or next day) . . . imagine changing just this one thing; if you do the math there is probably some outrageous statistic to prove how rare this is, but 6.5 billion of us will have a ‘last experience’ on earth – the next conversation you have with someone might be just such a last experience; sure, odds are low, but the probability is not absolute zero – it could be their last and you are witness to it, part of it
imagine then, if your communication with EVERYONE you encounter might just be the very last experience of THEIR life (or yours)
or, the odds of this are much higher, a uniquely new one that might be worth chasing after - no need to do the math, trust me on this
Mark Kolke
223,992
200.4
Musings need not be a monologue, but to make it a dialogue is dependent upon your responses, which are welcomed - please write me with your feedback/comments.
To subscribe to Mark's Musings daily email distribution, write to musing@maxcomm.ca
©2007 MaxComm Communications, all rights reserved.
©2007 MaxComm Communications, all rights reserved.
