Oh life, why do you mock us so? You always leave us wondering, “What does it all matter?” For most of us, each day is the same old rigmarole of daily routines filled with daily obstacles. Our fond memories get murky, and fade with each year, making us feel like the good old days are behind us.
For many, life is an endless quest to acquire what we don’t have. We always want what the other person has: money, fame, a normal family, an X Box, the latest iPhone… If we only had these things our life would be better. But would it? I think Robin Williams might’ve disagreed with you on that score. If you’re not happy where you are now, I bet that you wouldn’t be that much happier if you had everything that you think you want.
I don’t mean you have to be jumping up and down and kissing strangers, singing it’s a beautiful day; I’m referring to a feeling of contented peacefulness in your soul, which gives you the freedom to enjoy the people and things that are already in your life. Yes, even the crazy that drunk uncle who stops by and wears out his welcome.
It’s easy to be unhappy: Life’s problems can easily zap our energy if we don’t manage our worry and anxiety, so they don’t hijack our sense of well being. But when you break it down into simple terms, there are the things we can control in life, and the things we can’t. And if you break that down event further—why worry if you can control something? Just do the best you can. Now on the flipside, why worry if the control is out of your hands? Like a pushy mother-in-law. A Chinese proverb states: “When things are inevitable, you might as well enjoy them.” Wise people learn to battle unhappiness by just being, navigating through the ebbs and flows of life.
Everything is just for the moment. We run and run to catch something, only to pause and embrace the brief satisfaction, and then move on to the next conquest. Maybe it’s a new love, a better job, a nicer car, a bigger house or, for women, shoes. It’s always shoes. But no matter how hard we run or how successful become, we may can still feel empty. And in this race we pick up little things like stress, debt, problems, strife, depression, etc. And for what?
I’m reminded of an old Yiddish folk tale: King Solomon was sitting on his throne one morning, when he decided that Benaiah, the captain of the palace guard, needed a lesson in humility. So the king summoned Benaiah and gave him an impossible mission to fulfill:
“I have heard rumors of a fabulous ring,” said the king. “It has a unique power. When a sad man gazes upon it, he becomes happy. But when a happy man gazes upon it, he becomes sad. Find this ring and bring it to me.”
Benaiah set out in search of the ring. He traveled from town to town, inquiring as to its whereabouts. But no one had ever heard of such an object. Just as he was about to give up, he spotted a junk shop where the proprietor sat out front, watching the world go by. Benaiah approached the man and told the man of his quest.
“A ring that cheers the sad and saddens the cheerful?” the junk dealer repeated. “Come inside.”
Inside the shop were boxes of baubles from which the junk dealer took a plain, silver ring. He engraved some words on it and gave it to Benaiah. The young seeker read the inscription, nodded sagely, and made the long trek back to the palace.
Solomon was expecting an unsuccessful—and humbled—Benaiah. So when the young man strode in and handed him a ring, the king was taken aback. Inspecting it, he read the inscription—and let out a melancholy sigh. King Solomon removed his costly rings and slipped on this lone, silver one from the junk shop.
“It was I who needed a lesson in humility,” the royal told the young man. “This ring has reminded me that wealth and power are fleeting things.” For inscribed on the ring was the Yiddish phrase: Gam Zu Yaavor: “This too shall pass.”
Today various problems may loom in your life: Your car is making funny noises; the landlord’s trying to track you down; your cat has worms, or worse you have them. It seems to never end. Daily snags zap your focus, overrunning precious mental space that could be used to simply accept what is. If the many struggles of yesterday that we once stewed over have become meaningless today, it’s safe to assume that today’s difficulties will follow suit and become meaningless and forgotten. Then, upon reflection, we eventually realize the amount of energy we wasted on something that ultimately got resolved—we were still breathing, and still okay. Life comes in waves, but it’s important to remember that for everything there is a season… a time to laugh, a time to cry.
King Solomon, in his great wisdom, summed it up perfectly: “It’s like chasing the wind.” When is enough, enough? Remember, one day your life will be signified by a little dash on your tombstone between the days you were born and the day you passed away. One little dash to sum up your whole time on the planet.
The present is what matters. The past contains only that which has already happened and cannot be changed, while the future is a mystery. When you can embrace the now, that is where you will find true happiness. There’s a corny saying that today is a gift, which is why we call it the present. If you were told you only have six months to live, think of how precious today would be for you. (And just think, you could skip out on your bills and head to Vegas.)
Life is precious because it’s so short. We never know when we will be called “home.” They say the average person lives about 26,000 days. That’s not a long time, and even less time for those of us who have already lived half of those days. Somehow we must make each hour count. Especially given that statistics show that 10 out of 10 people die.
So what really matters? A great job? A big house? A hottie on your arm? Probably not. More likely it’s the experiences that you’ll remember, when all is said and done: the smiles, the hugs, the laughter, the tears, and the love that we share with one another. If we just learn to embrace each day and each moment everything else will fall into place, and there’ll be no need to chase the wind because, like King Solomon, we’ll accept and embrace the truth that this too shall pass.
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