Livin' the Life

“Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be, and whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul.” ~ Desiderata by Max Ehrmann, Spiritual writer and attorney (1872 -1945)

It was raining. Not cats and dogs, but raining. I gazed out my office window trying to concoct an excuse for not leaving the building. There was none to be had. In a matter of hours a large “bulk” mailing would be delivered to the post office in Santa Monica. Sufficient postage had to be credited to our account before the trays of letters arrived or the mailing might be refused. The check for the postage lay on my desk having been cut earlier that morning. I was out of options. It was time to get this over with.

Shrugging on my navy blue blazer I slipped the envelope, with the check inside, into my inside breast pocket. Out the door and down the hallway I went stopping only long enough to borrow an umbrella from the receptionist. I headed out the front door, down the stairs and onto the street. It was a six block walk to the post office. Almost immediately I felt damp and cold.

Twelve minutes later I arrived at my destination. The government building was dank and dark. My shoes and pant legs were wet, but fortunately there was only one person in line in front of me. My business quickly and efficiently transacted I stopped to buy stamps at the vending machine. It was out.

Standing in the open doorway, wind and rain in my face, the umbrella poised in my hands I stared out at the gloom. The wind had picked up and it seemed colder. After a moment’s indecision I remembered there was a bakery, two blocks up, on the northeast corner of Wilshire. They serve a particular brand of dark roast coffee that I cherish. I would treat myself. That would be my reward. A few cold, wet minutes later I pushed through the door of the bakery.

The warmth was welcoming. The aromas of freshly baked bread and steamy brewed coffee assaulted my senses. The warm lighting and the music of many convivial conversations stood in sharp contrast to the dreary weather and the dank, dingy building I had left only minutes before.

There was a line of course, but I didn’t care. In a way, I was relieved. It gave me time to ease into the environment…acclimating myself, experiencing and observing. I stood in front of a large glassed-in-display gazing at a plethora of pastries and a bounty of baked goods. The aromas wafted gently over the glass partition.

A Japanese woman and her small son waited in line in front of me. He was eating an organic dried snack of some sort. It was amusing to watch him carefully examine each morsel before popping it in his mouth. He gazed with fresh eyes at everything still in wonder at the world he was experiencing.

Almost too soon it was my turn in line. The young, black woman behind the counter wore teal green nail polish which perfectly matched her teal green sweatshirt. I commented on it and she responded with a smile because someone had noticed. She handed me my cup and my change. I turned and headed for the bank of coffee urns. The dark roast was second from the right.

Steam rose from my cup as I filled it, the complex aroma of the coffee greeting me anew. I secured the cup with a no-spill lid and a heat collar then reluctantly went to the door. Stopping to open my borrowed umbrella I paused one last time to take in the warmth, the smells and the harmonies of many conversations. Then, with a sigh of resolve, I pushed through the exit door into the cold and rain, reminding myself of the many “important” things I needed to do.

Is life rushing by us? Or, are we rushing through life? Most of us measure ourselves against how much we do and what we accomplish. We make to do lists and check items off. If we accomplish something, that isn’t on the list, some of us may go so far as to add it, just so we can check it off anyway. Our electronic organizers and computers provide us with reminders of everything we need to do and accomplish even providing us with alarms or warning sounds.

This is not to say there are not things in our life which need to be done, but are our laundry lists really the measures of the fullness of life. Life is also experiential. It is about growth, reflection and perception. I recall a former boss of mine commenting on the experience of a fellow employee: “He doesn’t have ten year’s experience. He has the same year’s experience ten times.” Perhaps this describes our lives. Are we simply doing the same things each day without experiencing them? Does our fulfillment come from crossing things off our lists?

There is a big difference between leading a full life and a life which is simply cluttered with activities. A “full life” is one which engages our spiritual, mental, physical, emotional and even our sensual being. As stewards we are first and foremost stewards of our time on earth. In this regard we have choices to make as to how we spend our time. We can spend it in the cold, darkness and damp of repetitive activities and what seem to be accomplishments. Or, we can step into the light, smell the coffee, the bread, the pastries; sense the beauty around us, hear the music produced by our family, our friends, even strangers and experience God in all of it.

PS: Don’t put “live a full life” on your to do list!

Dear God: Help me to experience you in everything around me.

“Lift up my eyes from the earth, and let me not forget the uses of the stars…Let me not follow the clamor of the world, but walk calmly in my path” ~ A Prayer by Max Ehrmann, Spiritual writer and attorney (1872 -1945)

© 2010 James E. Carper. All rights reserved.

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