Striving to Thrive
by Eric Payne
In the Spring I took a picture of my daughter running past a tree that was a good forty or fifty feet tall. It was so big it didn’t even fit in my camera’s frame. I have no idea how old it is, but given the age of the park where it’s located, I know it’s been around longer than all of us who are the currently alive. Large and gnarled, it hadn’t yet sprouted its leaves that are now a source of shade from the summer sun for thousands of visitors and provides a home for this season’s insects and birds.
That tree can easily be a metaphor for life. Life is bigger than us all. It changes in accordance with the seasons and gives shade and comfort to each season’s set of inhabitants.
Our economy, our nation, our world is all in a state of flux and turmoil. Everything from American cars to the price of milk is a source for complete, justified woe. The Internet and 24/7 media bombards us with the new and more of the same bleak facts all day long. If you don’t take a minute to take a step back it can be pretty overwhelming, and practically insurmountable.
Take a minute to take a step back.
Back to that tree I mentioned at the beginning of this article. I’m certain it has weathered crisis after crisis that man has found himself drowning in. It doesn’t seem to care. Neither does Life.
What are we really in control of? No matter what we discover and build, we are neither the biggest nor even strongest things here. We’re fragile. We die. Seasons and trends change. New people sprout up to occupy the space that was once yours. Seasons and trends change. In spite of all that is currently affecting us, no matter how far reaching it might be, the actual feel and texture of these times will be nothing more than a brief, passing memory.
Take a play from Life’s game and strive to thrive — in spite of it all. Children instinctively understand this all too well. They just play, making the most of whatever’s in the room with them. As we grow older and take on responsibilities we get stiff, tight and worry ourselves tremendously with things we ultimately cannot control.
This doesn’t mean one should toss their hat into the ring of clueless and carefree living. But since the only thing we have control over is what we do in our individual walks of life, strive to do your best — at work, at home, with your family, for the occasional stranger in need of a random act of kindness and even that man (or woman in the mirror). Putting your best foot forward is the first step in living a regret-free existence.
Life isn’t too short, our time in it is. Make the most of it, starting right now. Despite today’s problems, pledge to be a victor in all things, large and small. Kiss your wife. Come home and surprise your kids with ice cream. Eat healthy for your heart and your weight. Love your life. Strive to make it better if you don’t. It’s the only one you’ve got.
Check Eric out at MakesMeWannaHoller.com where he tackles family and fatherhood one day at a time. He is also the author of I See Through Eyes, a book of poetry and short stories.
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