In summer, as a child I used to take 5 minutes to throw my bathers on and run outside and jump into my neighbour’s swimming pool. As an adult it takes time to put sunscreen on, get into my bathers, make sure my towel is nearby and then I stand on the edge of the pool and psyche myself into diving in.
Life seemed so easy as a child. There was no thinking, you just ‘did’ and suffered the consequences of your actions later. As an adult, there are always questions, reservations and fears. Although I never quite knew what I wanted to be in terms of career, I think I was always so sure of myself. I knew who I was. I knew what to expect and I was prepared for anything.
I was so naïve.
Isn’t it funny how life can throw you so many curve balls, how, no matter how prepared you think you are, life can throw things at you that can completely shake you to the core. Life can change everything you were, or thought you were.
There are big things that happen to us and there are small things that happen to us. Sometimes you find yourself in the eye of a storm quicker than you can ever imagine. Sometimes things happen and you don’t realise how much they have changed you until later when you stand aside and look back.
There are things that can happen in one second that can completely change every part of you. There are unexpected relationships, there are loves that succeed and loves that never stand a chance, there are people that you have one lasting moment with and there are people you spend the rest of your lives with. There are choices that we make for ourselves and there are choices that are made for us. There is laughter and there are tears. There is euphoria and there are disappointments. There are unexpected delays and there is the inevitable that comes faster than we ever wanted. There are moments to look back and reminisce and there are times we must look forward.
Every moment in our lives counts, changes us and forms us. Are there regrets? Are there mistakes? Of course there are, there has to be, no one else has ever lived our lives before us.
People talk about destiny and fate. Do I believe in these? I don’t know! I love the thought of destiny but then I think that destiny can be cruel sometimes and that other people use destiny and fate as an excuse for the mistakes they have made.
There are so many so called professionals who give advice on how your life should be lived. Are there any real answers though? Is there any right way to prepare for all that life throws at us?
The Beatles said ‘All you need is Love’.
Van Morrison told us ‘There’d be days like this’.
The Rolling Stones told us ‘You can’t always get what you want’.
Is there an instruction manual to Life?
I think it just comes down to whether we are going to stand on the edge or just dive in. There are no answers and there are always bumps or, even hills in the road. We can only have limited expectations as there will always be the unexpected or the unknown.
Life is not always easy, no one ever said it would be, at least no one said it to me!
Until next time,
the last single 36yr old xx
