Yesterday marked 2 years of marriage for the wife and me. We spent the day running around Dallas, playing arcade games, and catching a movie (Tron. It’s pretty awesome.)
I’m pretty wiped out, so all I have to say is that I love you, Kristen. And here’s to many more awesome years together.
(An on-going project to discover truth in and about ourselves. See the others here)
Day 07 → Someone who has made your life worth living for.
This is sort of a silly prompt. I don’t live my life for anyone. I live my life because it’s my life to live. It’s not a matter of selfishness, because I have often (and will continue) to give parts of my life to other people. Much of my life has been given to my wife, my family. But I don’t live it for them. I don’t stay alive because of them.
That’s not to say they haven’t been a source of inspiration in my life, a pick-me-up when I get frustrated or tired. How could they not be? I mean, when you’ve given so much of yourself to these people, it becomes a matter of making sure you can continue to do that. Perhaps this is the same thing as “living your life for them,” but I don’t think so. The whole idea presented in this prompt is a bit melodramatic, I think.
I picture a man trying to swim across an ocean, and the only thing that keeps him going is some lost love on the other shore. Otherwise, he’d just quit and drown. I don’t guess I’ve reached that point. I may have given up on a few select projects or what have you, but I don’t imagine I would have laid down and died.
I also realize that this post is, on its face, contradictory to my last post. But I also don’t think it is. Just because I can’t really fathom a life without my wife or family, that doesn’t mean I can’t handle it, or that I wouldn’t continue on. It just means that I don’t want to, not that I can’t.
In any event, I guess this is all a non-answer to the question. But I don’t think you should ever live your life for someone else. You can choose to include others in your life, and you can choose to give of your life to other, but in the end, it’s your life. Not anyone else’s. And if your life isn’t worth living but for another person? Maybe you should reevaluate your priorities.
(This post inspired by Reverb10.)
December 18 – Try What do you want to try next year? Is there something you wanted to try in 2010? What happened when you did / didn’t go for?
In 2011, I want to try to do a lot of things, most of them pretty small, but important steps to being a better person.
I want to try to be a more consistent blogger. I’ve been doing a pretty good job so far, but I want to get better. Produce ever-better content, make this place something people want to read.
I want to try to be a better husband. To be a little more empathetic. A little more helpful. It’s hard. And I know I’ve got a lot of room for improvement here.
I want to try to cut back on spending. To save more money so we can achieve our goals sooner.
I want to try to get back in school. To start a graduate degree. To pursue the dream of a life in academia.
This past year was not a year or trial and error. It was a year of survival. Of regrouping. Of positioning ourselves for a better future. It’s time to start pursuing that future.
windswept, dirty hair
a gaggle of kids in tow
weary and threadbare
fluorescent lights shine
bringing everlasting day
fake sun, false light, lies.
a young smiling face
souring at the leaving
no toy horse today.
bells jingle nonstop
asking for any spare change
sir, donation please?
