7:25am Sunday morning. On my walk I felt anxious. The reason I felt that way is because I have had so many opportunities to succeed; jobs, businesses, writing. Yet I have not found sustainable results. The question I ask is; am I a failure? I suppose it depends on what I mean by “success.” If I am measuring it by possessions and numbers in my bank account then the answer is “yes.”But beyond those measures do I really feel I failed? Perhaps I have unrealistic expectations. The road to success is not easy, nor constant. I lived life the way I wanted to live it. Honoring the goals I deemed important. Sure, not everything has gone smooth, I have had challenges. But I am not going to change, I can’t change. I don’t want to change. This is who I am and who I will be until the bitter end. (That made me think of a song) “if you need a shoulder, or if you need a friend. I’ll be here standing, until the bitter end..” Rocket Queen by Guns and Roses-/. What I am saying is I like who I am. Some results suck. Like changing jobs every year,being away from my daughter, being in debt, not communicating with the WIL. But those are consequences of life lived. I am still moving forward. I will reach for new goals while trying to get back to those I love, connect with those I lost and honoring commitments I already made.
Tag: Happy
Friday
6:42am Friday. My old boss reached out to me earlier this week. I haven’t seen her for years. Haven’t talked to her very much lately. She moved to Washington state. We got along well, even earned our mba’s together. She texted me and said she might be coming to Phoenix in December/January. It would be good to see her. I felt happy when I heard from her. I haven’t felt happiness for a while. I am tired of feeling mopey!
Vacation
6:14am Thursday. Soon after dinner last night I fell asleep on the couch at my wife’s house. It was a deep, luxurious slumber filled with peacefully confusing images and happy childhood memories. The kind of sleep I rarely achieve during the hustle of life in Arizona. It happened right before evening. There were still some streaks of light in the sky but we had pulled the blinds and turned on a lamp or two. Once the house was settled my daughter began watching a Halloween movie. I don’t remember the plot but it had something to do with a secret society of teenagers battling an evil carnival. Shortly after it started I became extremely tired. The sounds of a full house, the smell of chicken soup emanating from the kitchen mingled in my brain and put me at ease. My eyelids grew heavy and I curled up on the side of the couch. Before long I was snoring softly. My daughter was surprised. She implored me to wake up, stressing it was barely eight o’clock. But I couldn’t be roused. The release of stress starting vacation and the sense of being home had emptied me out. I stayed there on the couch all night. Sleeping my peaceful sleep, dreaming my quiet dreams until the dog whined to be let out ten hours later.
Palm desert
9:58am palm desert. Taking some time off from work. At palm desert on a Wednesday. Excited to see my daughter and pick her up from school.
Relief
6:12am Wednesday morning. And with it a wave of relief washed over me. Big heaving sighs racked my body and tears covered my cheeks. The longed for peace finally arrived. All I needed to do was let go.
Life Path
5:59am Tuesday morning. Light streamed through slender clouds that signaled the new day’s dawn. And in that moment I realized the beautiful truth; Life was worth living because it was unpredictable. If there was a right path to take in life what then? Time would march forward with dull predictability. There would be no new day. Existence would repeat the same moment over and over until all life was snuffed out in a soulless uninspired end. But a life without a perfectly good path offered something better, a taste of the unknown. Such a journey resulted in more pain but wasn’t that the point? To struggle, to fail, to fall apart only to find the peace so desperately sought? The terrible path if life provided contrast, a dark background of gloom that made happiness so much more vibrant.
Wednesday night
8:08pm Wednesday night. I was distracted at work today. The morning dragged so I went home and took a nap for a couple hours. When I returned I had messages waiting for me. That got me focused. I worked hard all afternoon and came home exhausted, yet happy. I had been productive. I ate dinner and watched a movie before going to bed.
Monday morning, Labor Day
8:27am Monday morning, Labor Day, Dana Point. The path was familiar. I had walked it with my mom everyday the four months she lived with me. I appreciated that time. Though I was frustrated with work I had mornings free to walk along the bluff. We head north, then east until we got to the park. Then we circled back to the apartment. The whole trip last half an hour. I would have coffee then get ready for work.
Saturday morning
8:31am Saturday morning. Palm desert. As I drove my mind recalled moments when I felt at peace, times in my life I felt unburdened by expectation or remorse. It was then I felt most childlike, though I was far from innocent and very much an adult. I longed to retrace my steps and find that experience again; a moment when the world was filled with wonder, I was assured my existence held purpose and in my heart I was truly content.
Thursday morning
5:43am Thursday morning. Could I ever deconstruct my life and rebuild it along a path of happiness? Years ago I chose adventure and responsibility, changing careers, becoming a parent. If i had chosen another life would my regrets be different? Who is to say one choice was better than the other? Who can judge my decisions as somehow flawed? Day by day, moment by moment I took course until I ended up at this very spot. Perhaps next week, next month, next year, I will reflect on this time just the same, and in those moments of respite I wonder why I did what I did and lament or celebrate the memory.