Are You Making The Most Of Life?
“There is always the temptation in life to diddle around making itsy-bitsy friendsand meals and journeys for years on end. It is all so self conscious, so apparently moral...But I won't have it. The world is wilder than that in all directions, more dangerous...more extravagant and bright. We are...raising tomatoes when we should be raising Cain, or Lazarus.”
- Annie Dillard
I like raising tomatoes. I enjoy cooking meals. I love planning journeys.
However, when I think about the world being so much bigger than all of that, I can't help but agree with Annie Dillard.
My story and yours isn't going to be very interesting if all we pursue is our personal comfort and subtle, safe improvements to our lifestyle.
No great story is crafted around the plot of someone overcoming obstacles to get a home with a finished basement or a newer Audi.
This week, I'm giving a lot of thought to what it means to live a life that is both "extravagant and bright."
I'm not at a major crossroads, which is one reason that I should step back and see what life is unfolding around me.
I'd bet that a life that finds itself "diddling around" is one that is just plodding along.
No tension. No risk. No healthy fear. No chasing the thrill.
Now is the time to ask myself... Am I playing it safe? Is my self-consciousness defining me? Am I surrounding myself with people who are pushing (aka, inspiring) me out of the nest or "itsy-bitsy" friends (as Dillard calls them) who encourage me just to play it safe?
What are the things I need to prune? How do I embrace the wildness of this incredible, wonderful gift of life?
What does it mean to you to raise Cain? To raise Lazarus?
I'll be thinking.