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So, I was trying to reflect on 51 and see what I’ve
learned this past year. This is it…
A year (and 2 days) ago, on my 50th birthday, I
made a post about what I had learned over the last 50 years.
While I’m always trying to grow to be a better
human, (and don’t get me wrong, I’m far from perfect) this past year I
think may have been one of my most enlightened.
No. I didn’t have a near-death experience.
There was no epiphany.
No eureka moment in the middle of the night.
And
No, I’m not sick (as far as I know  )
Honestly, it was just a confluence of conversations
and events. Simply exposure to concepts/beliefs and philosophies.
While none of it was mind-blowing, it was concepts
that provided me, personally, the lens for some focal clarity in my
beliefs.
One area that really stood out this year is my
time.
Specifically my own mortality.
Time is our most valuable resource. It is ever
depleting, never replenishing and when’s it’s gone, it’s gone.
Tick Tock…
Don’t get me wrong, I still fritter away loads of
it on occasion, but I’m very conscious about it now more than ever.
You see the run up to age 50, to me, was still an
uphill journey.
Yet, this last year was different. Different
because it’s become clearer that, even if I’m fortunate, I’m
definitively on the backside of the hill. (Doesn’t mean I won’t fight to
the end but, eventually the body, or fate, does have it’s limits)
‘Memento Mori’ is a Latin saying that means
‘Remember you must die’.
So this year I really, truly began to weigh the
value of my time carefully.
What’s truly important?
What’s in my control?
What’s worth my time?
The answer for me is easy (and not very different
than before) -
Personal Growth
Family
Friends
Pets
Mentoring
Hobbies
Notice something missing?… Work.
Why is not on that list? Because work doesn’t
define me. No one ever put on their tombstone “Loving husband, father
and Airbus pilot!”
I do enjoy work but more for the process - the
challenge.
Being a pilot is my lifelong dream and I’m
fortunate to have achieved it.
I enjoy the relationships I’ve cultivated during
the career (Friends). I’ve enjoyed the experiences I’ve had (Personal
Growth) but at the end of the day, it does essentially rob me (like all
of us) of time dedicated to family, friends, hobbies, etc.
I mean it is what it is, we have to earn a
paycheck. However, I’m more aware that I’m simply a cog in the machine
and the paycheck is a means to an end. Nothing more.
Anyway, I digress.
It’s been a good year for mental growth.
Everyday I wake up is a gift.
I Appreciate the little things more.
I Appreciate the value of time a little more.
Remember, If you’re not growing, you’re dying…
This year, I turned 51 but I don’t feel a day over
50!
Thanks for your time and birthday wishes.
#MementoMori
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