Like Smoke through a key hole...
08-10-08

Have you ever thought about what you want most out of life? More importantly have you ever thought about what value and measure you give to those around you? One of the best parts of this later summer season and especially August it is time to contemplate, look into and at ourselves, our behaviors and goals. In the movie 'The Bucket List' Jack Nicholson's character, Edward Cole uses the phrase 'Like smoke through a key hole' to describe how quickly a life passes.

Nicholson's character and another charcter played by Morgan Freeman are both diagnosed with terminal, inoperable cancer and given less than a year to live. Freeman's character narrates and states a survey that 96% of us would prefer to not know the exact date and time of our death. Count me in that group. What a morbid thought to carry through life knowing exactly when you'll pass on. Besides the dread knowing your 'death date' would bring, also forboding is the choices knowing this information would force us to face. We all go around as if time is a constant and never ending replinishable resource. While we know logically this isn't true we still live our days thinking there's plenty of time for us to achieve what we truly want. There's plenty of time for us to give back to those we have great affection and love. The 'Bucket List' and real life people like late inspirational professor Randy Pausch who just passed on a few weeks ago, show us time is extremely finite.

The 'Bucket List' is a special film mainly because it provokes us to think. Are we on the right path? How do we know which path to be on at all? What value and responsibility do we take on to help others? These are difficult questions made even more difficult if we knew our time to answer them was limited as it was for Randy Pausch and for the main characters in 'The Bucket List'.

Fortunately for most of us we're not at this morbid crossroad in the near future and here's hoping it stays that way for a long, long time. That said, doesn't that make the point? We, who arguably have an abundant amount of time, are the worst when it comes to making good use of it.

When was the last time you looked at your relationship with those closest to you? When was the last time you focused on your growth academically, in your career or spirtuality? Life's not supposed to be mundane and a series of one task after another but as a country and community do we work as hard as we could in building our list of important things to accomplish? Too often the answer is no.

'Find the joy in your life' and in your life 'find time to give joy to others' is another piece from the 'The Bucket List'. If you're a younger person one of the best places to start is with an older family member or relative. Seniors among us offer great perspective which allows us all to look at ourselves, our choices and our goals in a clearer way.

Often times religious leaders and community activists can also lend guidance. Maybe a simple conversation with an old friend and mentor will help you get started. Take advantage of the time you have regardless of your age. Because 'like smoke through a keyhole' some day you'll look back. Will it be all you hoped it would? Time, as it always does, will tell.

Enjoy the remainder of your summer. See 'ya around town.