The scooter had been ridden, hard. It was well used with the scars to show for it. The paint had an interesting patina, the look was thrashed, and I wondered about the story behind it all. Clinging on was a pristine stuff monkey. He looked no worse for wear. It was as if the monkey had seen it all and decided to be restored and recreated to its full potential. Still loyal, the grip was firm. What the future held, ah the stuff of one’s imagination.
Pushing the envelope is hard to sustain. It is more than reaching beyond, it is the focus on a singular effort at the expense of everything else. Life reminds me that I did not question myself once I embraced a goal. In hindsight and the legacy of what unfolded, I know I could have achieved more if I had taken time to reflect, consider the options, and measured the outcome. In short, I wished I could have seen more than I did then.
Reaching for the impossible has a reward all its own. I look back, amazed at the mountains climbed and the relationships along the way. Life invites you and me to do more than what we have done. Today is a unique invitation to stretch and reach into the future. Old and young, strong and weak, everyone has something to contribute. Life is never about the limits of one’s abilities. Life is a constant invitation to engage, contribute, and do more than one ever thought possible.
There are seasons in life. The metaphor reminds me that life is more than the harvest. When I take them all in, I see the futility of simply pleasing one’s mind. The wise one reminds me: “I said to myself, “Let’s go for it – experiment with pleasure, have a good time!” But there was nothing to it, nothing but smoke.” (Ecclesiastes 2:1). When I take time for the dark night of my soul, winter, followed by the dawn, spring, and the planting, a larger story of care and growth emerges.
