Life Cycles
Its five o’clock in the afternoon; Outside of work hour’s locals are hurried to reunite with the rush of traffic sounds. Pedestrians and public transportation are entering and exiting the slope of the lift bridge. At the foot of the bridge the flag of our country stands reminiscent of today’s freedom as it soars with liberty. Flock of birds glide, dive and ascend across the blue skies as the billowing waves of the red river rage beneath their breast, fearless.
A couple of years ago I recollect traveling this well-trodden, meandering road with its rolling hills and overhanging trees. This road happens to be the route in which I favor to get home from work. What I would observe this particular evening stirred an intense feeling in the pit of my stomach and spread throughout my body.
What I noticed was down trees, actually – land clearing at a locally owned memorial park. More land? Expanding… a cemetery, I thought? Initially my intellect wouldn’t register this as being significant. While passing this way over the next few days, here are some intuitive insights gained.
Reality Is First, our daily routine is a life cycle of birth and growth, successes, failures and death that is experienced by all life forms. Reality is we’ll all pass this way. In the words of Steve Maraboli, “You were put on this earth to achieve your greatest self, to live out your purpose, and to do it courageously.
What Are You Going To Do About It? Are you familiar with the Parable about the Talents? If not, read the entirety-Matthew 25: 14-30. Here’s a short version.
A master went away on a long trip. He entrusted his three servants with talents according to their abilities. One servant received five talents, worked hard, earned five more. Another received two talents, worked hard, earned two more. The third received one talent, dug a hole in the ground and hid the master’s money. When the master return, servant one and two gave an account for their talents, the master was well pleased. The third servant; however, had every excuse as to why he wasn’t faithful with his one talent. Fear, lack of confidence, losing…he hid his talent in the earth. His master wasn’t pleased. He called him, wicked and lazy and his one talent was given to the servant with ten talents.
Are you working hard or is fear, lack of confidence and losing assisting you in fertilizing the earth with excuses? We are the only beings that know what we are hiding. The Master knows what He has given each of us and what we are capable of. The advice here;…to not bury your abilities-alive!
Obituary Last of all, was the image of an obituary cover- a good number are imprinted with sunset and sunrise to indicate a person’s birth and passing on. In between the dates of birth and passing on is a dash or an empty space. A dash is symbolic of vigor, here is where we proceed or move quickly. It is where we are most active of strength body and mind, we are more inclined or willing to take risks here… in- the- dash. Today… is your dash.
Write out every idea, dream, and aspiration that inserts itself into your thought process. Begin to carry out every desire on your list. Pace yourself. It doesn’t have to be completed in a day; however, it will help to keep you from procrastination and becoming stagnated. It may be just a phone call to someone or a business to inquire on how to begin a goal on your list, call them. Your presence, your purpose…your today, is greater than merely going through the cycles of this life.
Dream. Build. Success.
Jondrea Nicole jondreanicole.com