The “One Day” Basket
108th Edition
Happy Spiritual Wednesday
It’s funny how a deadline can affect thinking, considerations and just life in general. There are times where we can feel as if there is plenty of time ahead of us, and times where we know time is limited.
Young Think
When I was in my 20s, I recall having grand plans for my life, all the places and things I would do. Most of us live in this way, I have found. The list grew longer and longer, and the achievements came, ticking off boxes and exploring the world around me. As all stages of life are, it was a beautiful time.
However, what I have come to see as an interesting chink in the proverbial armor is how much time I felt I had to explore all the things that were so accessible to me. Or rather, how much I took these places and things for granted.
I grew up in Southern California, and until 25, I spent my time in the area apart from travel. My teenage and early 20s years were beautifully spent chasing waves and snow, with the opportunity to do both in a single day due to my proximity. Could even fit in some work or school around my active schedule too! We also had a wide variety of national parks available to us, from snow to desert, mountains to lakes, climbing and chilling, exploring and refining. Point being - there was a lot on offer and more.
Where I may have missed the mark, is in recognising this abundance of opportunity, and placing some dream spots in the “One Day” basket. “We should totally check that out one day…” is a frequently used phrase to describe many of these attractions.
National Parks around my home, or within a short striking distance… Waves not terribly far away… Venues for shows, people, places… The list is long.
Unfortunately, I didn’t appreciate what we had until I moved and settled in Australia. When locals would travel to my home and go on wild explorations of these parks, these grand places and come back to share their tales and bond over them, I would just shrug and say “Sounds nice, but I haven’t been yet…”
I said this many times, and it got me thinking of how many beautiful spots I must have missed out on. This has led to me wanting to go back home as a tourist, rent a van and travel to all the awesome spots that have been in that list for decades now!
Then the world shut down, and travel halted, so some of those destinations were off limits. Slowly, travel came back online, but by this time, we had a family starting, life had changed pace, and the reality of taking some of these trips started to fade away.
We truly don’t know what we’ve got til it’s gone, and in this way, I have come to appreciate more the land and space that is at my door.
Considered Think
Now, this is an easy lesson to learn - take advantage of the opportunity presented to you and enjoy the moment! Sounds simple enough, and still I see life get in the way for many people, myself included… Perhaps more accurately said: Life doesn’t get in the way, but we prioritise things in a weird order.
In 7 days’ time, we will be loading up a moving truck with our Sydney life, and shipping it away to greener pastures and a new lifestyle. This decision has come from years of desire, but also comes with some sadness for what we will be leaving behind. The people, the community these things I have reminisced on before.
What I am noticing now is all the things I wished to do, the places to go, the events that are local and accessible to us in Sydney, but I haven’t made it to. While we aren’t dead yet, this is a reminder of the preciousness of life and each moment.
It also goes without saying that there will always be things left undone in our lives, and one can not expect to achieve every little thing. On top of this, I have always held myself to a high standard, and this can lead to an analysis paralysis sense of not acting for fear of not acting well or correctly.
There are so many beautiful places and people that I have only just come to know and appreciate in the past year, more that I haven’t seen yet and countless more that I am unaware of and may die not knowing about or seeing.
There is an unrest with this sentiment, but also a sense of peace in realising that we carry ourselves with us wherever we go, so the destinations arrive when we are ready to experience them. Similar to how the master appears when the student is ready.
In full disclosure, I am the type of person that can never get just one flavour of ice cream, can never settle on one thing and I can’t help but feel there is a deeper lesson in all this for me.
Point of all this is to say that I will miss Sydney and the places and people who have made it special. And I am sad that there are places which I wanted to explore and didn’t get to, but this will ensure I take full advantage of where I will be going for future reference!
Forward Think
As we are preparing the move, we are recognising how we are moving to an abundant land, a relaxed pace life scenario and how the new surrounds will be a welcome treat to the busyness of the suburbs of a city - even on the Northern Beaches it can be hectic.
There are countless spots of beauty to explore, people to meet, activities to learn and I will do my best to pursue those with vigor!
What I also have come to realise in my last few weeks of deep reflection is how little I need to do. It’s no secret to anyone who knows me that I have always been a bit of a specialised generalist, a modern sense of Renaissance Man but have never dived the full depth into any one area, for fear of not experiencing the rest!
The learning coming through for me is to refine my focus, to hone my craft, or start anew, and to progress diligently and with greater discipline. This is a powerful undertaking for myself, as I have spread myself thin in most areas of life, and reigning in the energy to focus attention is a newer skill for me.
Finally, this thought leads into the people. I have been so fortunate to meet so many wonderful souls in this area, and many from around the world. I have been open with them, held space for them, and often dropped my doings so that I could help out.
As we are leaving, we are holding a goodbye picnic with nearly 150 people on the invite list, likely many more who we have forgotten, and I am excited and dreading it, for the time of my life in which I have desired to be super social seems to have closed as I have become a father. Most of my days are spent with my son, and these past weeks with my family as we are prepping for the move and not working. It’s nice.
Upon re-establishing our roots, I will be vigilant in not over booking, not overcommitting and not filling up all the space in my days, so that I might enjoy the simple act of being innate in our species’ namesake.
Life isn’t too short, but there are ways that some of us may squander precious moments. My commitment to myself is to savour every moment, to be present and to take full advantage of this gift of life I have been given. I’ll stop filling the “One Day” basket, and plan and prepare for those things which hold sincere value in my existence.
If there’s room for you to refine and refocus, check in… don’t wait til New Years!
And so it is, with love.
The "One Day" Basket