What Is Your Life Song?

Dear Readers:

Last night I finished this, only to find it wouldn't post. So goes life; we all navigate minor obstacles every day and, occasionally, major stressors. Currently, my wife and I are exploring new job opportunities. Though hopeful for better times, we are nevertheless stressed-out. At least, now, we have time to reassess what's important in our lives. It's such a rat race out there; I'm often left with little time to reflect on where I've been, and where I'm going.

This was not my concern as a high school student, until my senior year. I was at a loss to know what I'd do after graduation. Then a friend told me he was going to be a veterinarian, and I thought I'd found my future. I've always loved animals. Only thing is, I didn't become a vet; it wasn't in the cards. Instead, I went to medical school and became an ophthalmologist; then I went to theological seminary and became a minister; then I trained to become a psychiatrist. After all this training, you'd think I'd had figured out what I was going to do for the rest of my life. Not so. It's a work in progress; I'm a work in progress. Not everyone finds one vocation to settle on forever.

Happiness is another issue to navigate. Chasing after your vocation is one thing, but the pursuit of happiness is even more elusive. My grandfather was a postal worker for forty years. When he wasn't delivering mail, he took lead roles in community theater. He was a happy man and found balance in his life. Everyone's different. Community theater wasn't my lot. It took me quite a long time to realize happiness came not only from pursuing a vocation, but from being with my family, loving, and being loved.

Money can't buy happiness. Celebrity status, getting rich, and flash in the pan experiences are newsworthy events, but pursuing such things only distance us from the most important life-giving aspects of our lives. Jesus said it best: "Where you heart is, there your treasure lies also." So my faith sustains me and keeps me centered on the most important things in life. Trying to live by Jesus's code is easier said than done, however. Work , family conflicts, and unwanted intrusions into our lives occur constantly.

I'll say this in closing. When I was a teenager, I took a job as a busboy. Low pay, bossy waitresses, and a lazy assistant manager (who also bossed me around) were highlights of that experience. What struck me as the most memorable occurred when, after work, I thumbed a ride home. An elderly man pulled over and let me in on that grey, rainy day. I remarked, "Lousy weather, huh?" His answer still haunts me: "Oh, I'm just glad to be alive another day." A poignant reminder of what's most important. A life well lived is a happy one.

Until later.