“The man I am greets mournfully, the man I might have been.”
~ Hebbel
I can think of two possible ways to close that statement;
I’d rather be at……….. instead of where I am now.
I’d rather be …………. instead of the person that I am now.
To both I would have to say No. I am very comfortable exactly where I am now and I am very comfortable in my own skin in my current situation and have no desire whatsoever to be somebody different.
The two quite popular wishes usually arise from a dissatisfaction with one’s past. Usually one who is still young and wanting. One wishes for a future that should be different and preferably with other locations, people, employment, health etc. Having reached the proverbial three score and ten quite comfortably, albeit with some replaced spare parts giving some trouble on and off, I am very pleased with myself for having reached where I am now and also very happy with all that I have in my life and do not miss anything for which I crave.
And I am grateful.
Like most Indians my daily prayer includes this bit which is from my heart and sincere.
“Anayasena maranam |
Vina dainyena jivanam ||
Dehi me krpaya shambo |
Tvayi bhaktimacancalam.”||
( “A life without poverty and an end that is without hardship for me and those around me. This is all I ask of you, Shambo and unswerving devotion for you.”)
This brings me to the following quotation which is apt for this post.
“The pessimist resembles a man who observes with fear and sadness that his wall calendar, from which he daily tears a sheet, grows thinner with each passing day. On the other hand, the person who attacks the problems of life actively is like a man who removes each successive leaf from his calendar and files it neatly and carefully away with its predecessors, after first having jotted down a few diary notes on the back. He can reflect with pride and joy on all the richness set down in these notes, on all the life he has already lived to the fullest. What will it matter to him if he notices that he is growing old? Has he any reason to envy the young people whom he sees, or wax nostalgic over his own lost youth? What reasons has he to envy a young person? For the possibilities that a young person has, the future which is in store for him?
No, thank you,’ he will think. ‘Instead of possibilities, I have realities in my past, not only the reality of work done and of love loved, but of sufferings bravely suffered. These sufferings are even the things of which I am most proud, although these are things which cannot inspire envy.’ ”
~ Viktor Frankl.
This topic was suggested by Shackman, for the weekly Friday Loose Bloggers Consortium where currently nine of us write on the same topic every Friday. I hope that you enjoyed my contribution to that effort. The seven other bloggers who write regularly are, in alphabetical order, Ashok, gaelikaa, Lin, Maxi, Padmum, Pravin, Shackman and The Old Fossil. Do drop in on their blogs and see what their take is on this week’s topic. Since some of them may post late, or not at all this week, do give some allowance for that too!
