My Window on The World

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Recommended: Effect of nature and nurture on individual development

We never know what life has in store and that’s as it should be. Sometimes we can get a glimpse of what’s in store based on our actions. If I drive my car at a high speed constantly, then I can expect to be involved in an accident, sooner or later. I drink 2½ cups of coffee every morning and I kinda suspect somewhere along life’s path that will come back to haunt me. I have read reports saying that exact amount of coffee is good for you, and then other reports say there are things in coffee that are bad. So, a lot of decisions we make in life give us a cue on what may lie ahead for us. I have always had a tendency to believe that God charted our path, but I’m beginning to think that he leaves a lot of it up to us. Jerilyn and I have a several people in our life that are suffering health wise, and we suffer right along with them because they are such an important part of who we are. Granted, suffering is sometimes caused by our genes, but I suspect most of it is lifestyle and the effects of lifestyle choices normally rear their ugly head after you turn 40. My philosophy is “good health is a gimme until age 40, then you have to work for it”. All of that said however, does not relieve the us from worrying about those we love. All of know the Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”. We know that because it is in the New Testament, but did you know that it was said by Confucius 500 years before it was written in the bible? So, the belief that mankind should treat others kindly goes back a very long way (2500 years?). With all the violence in our world today it gives us pause to consider if we have lost that core part of us called conscience. Sometimes, I think we wake up each morning, read... ... middle of paper ... ... gave up to work in a cavernous building under artificial lights for most of my life. All those years my primary purpose was to provide a decent living for my family, totally unaware of what I was missing in life. In the hoosegow, prisoners are allowed outside in the daylight for one hour each day, to look up and see the sun and the beautifully blue sky. Looking back, I am saddened by how much I missed and by how little I knew about how much I missed. All of this brings to mind a quote by E.B. White, “People are, if anything, more touchy about being thought silly than they are about being thought unjust”. This could all be silly thinking on my part. I hope so. I wonder, when we get to the end of life, do we worry about things left undone? To send a letter is a good way to go somewhere without moving anything but your heart…..Phyllis Theroux

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