Doing A Mid-Life Review
“Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.”
Søren Kierkegaard
"I’m halfway through my life, (God-willing)," wafted to my conscious mind from the seat of my meditation chair as casually as a reminder to vacuum. Then it sunk in as a stark moment of truth does.
No one can predict their death date, and for that, I’m grateful to the friendly caretaker of the Universe. Regardless of when it will happen, it happens to us all.
So, I thought I’d prepare and do a little housekeeping. This kind of practice is normal for a yogi. Like Buddhists, we practice regular introspection.
Did I regret anything? Do I need to change anything? What have I learned? What matters most?
And finally, am I happy with who I am?
Scanning my memory bank, the prognosis was good.
Inside the yarn box of life were scraps of failures, disappointments, struggles, successes, deep conversations, random acts of kindness, hard work, loads of fun, and as a result of everything – a colorful inner life.
Some strings were intact and more vibrant than I remembered. With a little glue, paper, and hope, they would make for enlightening artwork.
There were also bits and bobs of residual regret that I thought I might someday do something with, that I’m now ready to toss.
Overall, I’ve DIY my life into something I’m proud of, considering there were no instruction manuals or YouTube videos to consult.
The colorful box of life lessons.
The greatest insights were about the people and things I thought I couldn’t live without. I’m glad my fervent prayers weren’t answered and that I’ve only received what is truly meant for me. Sweet or sour.
Enjoy this Taoist story about everything happening for a reason.
There was a Chinese farmer whose horse ran away. That evening, all of his neighbours came around to sympathize. They said, “We are sorry to hear your horse has run away. How unfortunate.” The farmer said, “Maybe.”
The next day the horse came back bringing seven wild horses with it, and his neighbours exclaimed, “Oh, how lucky. What a great turn of events. You now have eight horses!” The farmer again said, “Maybe.”
The following day his son tried to break in one of the horses. He was thrown and broke his leg. The neighbours chirped, “Oh dear, that’s horrible,” and the farmer responded, “Maybe.”
The next day, army officers came around to enlist young men into the army, and they rejected his son because of his broken leg. Again all the neighbours came around and said, “Isn’t that great!” The farmer replied, “Maybe.”
As my husband likes to say, ‘Everything happens for a reason.’