There are those that plan their lives far into the future. At least so I've heard. I have never been one of them. I've always been a more of a one thing at a time sorta guy. First thing I remember planning on was graduating high school. I was to be the first one of us kids to do so. Isn't that an amazing " old time " time thing when you think about it. Both my older brothers and my sister left high school to pursue careers. Well, that is what we would call it now but back then it was to just to make money. Whatever job was available at the time would suffice. My sister did go to trade school, cosmetician. Mom told me that was a fancy name for a hairdresser. I guess you could say my sister did pursue a career. She did that right up till she got married. My oldest brother held many different occupations during his lifetime and brother Dan learned to be a butcher. I did graduate from high school. I was the first in my family to walk across that stage in cap and gown, a proud moment. Afterwards I joined the Navy. I hadn't really planned on that move. The fact is it was decided by a coin toss. I had two friends that had decided to join the service following graduation and one was to go Army and one Navy. I choose which one to accompany by the flip of a coin. I have often looked back and chuckled about that, that was some way to choose a career move. Well it worked out all right I guess, I did wind up retiring from the Navy after only one interruption. Funny thing is I never planned on that until after fourteen years of service. By then I had gained enough sense not to quit and throw that time away. Well, I did have a wife that gave good advice ! I had learned by then it was best to just listen and do as you are told ! Ah, the secrets to a good marriage can take awhile to understand.
I was thinking about this after writing yesterdays piece on expectations. I'm thinking I have never set my expectations too high or too far into the future. It wasn't and still isn't a conscious thing on my part. I believe it just stems from the way I was raised. To us folks b'low the bridge, same as other side of the tracks to others, you learned to enjoy what you had today. You didn't set much store by what might happen tomorrow, or in some distant future. Reality had a way of smacking you in the face. Advanced education was a great thing, and admired, but first you had best know how to make a living. A college diploma didn't get you more to eat or fix the roof. At least not were I lived it didn't, that was for those folks on the other side. Yup, those other folks made great plans all the time and chased the future ! We were just busy trying to survive until next week let alone worry about next year. Life b'low the bridge was immediate. You live and you die. The time in between you spend working. That is what I was taught anyway. You got married and raised a family that was life. Success meant grandchildren. To have your family all around you enjoying life together was the plan. That is what you worked for, not for money. Money was just a vehicle to get you there. I guess it all depends on what you figure you need. I always figured basic transportation was good enough, didn't need any luxury vehicle to get me there. It is like vacationing, doesn't matter how you got to the resort, you still enjoy the resort. It has been my experience that you don't want to get too comfortable anyway. Comfort leads to complacency. You start getting complacent about things and bad things will happen. You need to pay attention in life ! Concentrate on today. My grandmother had a saying, " don't worry about tomorrow for tomorrow will take care of itself. " Now that, of course, was paraphrased from the Bible. Mathew said, " Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. " And just what does that mean ? You have enough challenges to face today, trust God to help you tomorrow, as he will today. You can't really plan for something that hasn't happened yet. Take care of your business today.
I'm thinking that may be the basis of my philosophy in life. Tomorrow will come and bring the day with it. The best I can do is what is right. If I am doing right it will be just as right tomorrow as it is today. Right doesn't change with the day. So I do the best I can each day. Tomorrow will wait its' turn, no need to worry about that. You can chase the future all you want but you will never catch up to it. In the end, all you will find there, is the past.
I was thinking about this after writing yesterdays piece on expectations. I'm thinking I have never set my expectations too high or too far into the future. It wasn't and still isn't a conscious thing on my part. I believe it just stems from the way I was raised. To us folks b'low the bridge, same as other side of the tracks to others, you learned to enjoy what you had today. You didn't set much store by what might happen tomorrow, or in some distant future. Reality had a way of smacking you in the face. Advanced education was a great thing, and admired, but first you had best know how to make a living. A college diploma didn't get you more to eat or fix the roof. At least not were I lived it didn't, that was for those folks on the other side. Yup, those other folks made great plans all the time and chased the future ! We were just busy trying to survive until next week let alone worry about next year. Life b'low the bridge was immediate. You live and you die. The time in between you spend working. That is what I was taught anyway. You got married and raised a family that was life. Success meant grandchildren. To have your family all around you enjoying life together was the plan. That is what you worked for, not for money. Money was just a vehicle to get you there. I guess it all depends on what you figure you need. I always figured basic transportation was good enough, didn't need any luxury vehicle to get me there. It is like vacationing, doesn't matter how you got to the resort, you still enjoy the resort. It has been my experience that you don't want to get too comfortable anyway. Comfort leads to complacency. You start getting complacent about things and bad things will happen. You need to pay attention in life ! Concentrate on today. My grandmother had a saying, " don't worry about tomorrow for tomorrow will take care of itself. " Now that, of course, was paraphrased from the Bible. Mathew said, " Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. " And just what does that mean ? You have enough challenges to face today, trust God to help you tomorrow, as he will today. You can't really plan for something that hasn't happened yet. Take care of your business today.
I'm thinking that may be the basis of my philosophy in life. Tomorrow will come and bring the day with it. The best I can do is what is right. If I am doing right it will be just as right tomorrow as it is today. Right doesn't change with the day. So I do the best I can each day. Tomorrow will wait its' turn, no need to worry about that. You can chase the future all you want but you will never catch up to it. In the end, all you will find there, is the past.
No comments:
Post a Comment