Postcards From Across the Pond

As we quietly stitch the fresh beginning of 2018 to the tired end of 2017, we are presented with an opportunity to reflect, not just on the year gone by, but on the arc of a life lived so far.

I think of my own life, as it currently is, so far removed from anything I could have envisioned when I started out. And my son and his wife, juggling mortgages, jobs, three wonderful children and all the activities they are entwined in. Their life is hectic to the point that they must struggle just to get to the end of the day. I’m sure, if asked, they could reflect on how fortunate they are, but like most of us, joy is often smothered by simple daily necessities.

It’s like the old joke:

Short term goal: make it through the day.
Long term goal: String a bunch of short-term goals together.

It is, therefore, important, from time to time, to sit and reflect on what it is all about, and what we are actually doing. Because what we are doing is lying bricks.

Another day, another brick. Keep it straight.

Every day we get though is another chunk in the wall of whatever structure you are creating from your life. You don’t need to be retired to reflect on what you have accomplished so far, but you do need to have attained a certain number of years, because in the early days, when you are still close to ground level, you don’t have a very good view. But as the years slip by, and the building you are working on rises, you get a more encompassing view, and it would be a mistake to not have a look behind you to see what sort of edifice you are laboring on.

It might be a beautiful mansion, or a quirky cottage, or a soaring cathedral, or a bit of a shamble. But it will be something, because everyone is building something with their life, whether they know it or not.

And so, as we slip into 2018, I wish you exciting days ahead. Days where the joy and thrill of life are apparent. But during those days that make up the bulk of year, when getting that single brick into place feels like a battle, I hope you can remember this:

Everyone is battling with their own brick, so be kind to one another, show patience, embrace tolerance and, when necessary have courage.