Life?
"Life is what happens while you're making other plans."
Author Unknown
I have seen this saying several times, its authorship contributed to various people, from Allen Saunders in the 1950's to John Lennon in the 1980's, as well as various other sources in the 60's and 70's.
The first time I ever saw it was on the tag of my tea bag back in the 1970's when I was just out of college. Regardless of who originated it, it is a powerful statement and caught me quite by surprise. I remember taping it to my telephone at work (where it stayed for years), deciding right then and there that I wanted to be aware as I went through life, not waking up years later and asking, "What happened?"
Even so, it takes effort to maintain an awareness. We are so easily distracted as a species. Friendships, arguments, marriages, misunderstandings, children, illnesses, work; they all get in the way of living!
I've decided that as long as I am happy I am maintaining some level of awareness and when things are bad or sad, I've lost that awareness. For life is, or should be, happiness. And happiness is harmony. And harmony is the ability to control how interactions with others affects us. We forget that we really are in charge of our own lives. It's your choice.
"Take care of each moment and you take care of all time."
The Buddha (563-483 BC)
