The Spontaneity of Life
There is something both intriguing and scary about the spontaneity of life. It’s been designed to “go on” regardless of the surrounding encumbrances. Let’s assume you were born on January 1st. This day signifies the beginning of a new year; one that is marked with celebration, anticipation and countless resolutions. The birth of a child make’s the day even more special (at least in most cases, lol). So, while there was celebration in your home, I would want you to ponder over the other things that transpired on that same day. On the day you were born, laughter filed your house, but there was trouble elsewhere. Someone lost a child and may never conceive again, another lost a job and may never recover from that loss. Someone was diagnosed with a terminal illness with no hopes or ever getting better, another prayed for healing and their situation was reversed. Someone made gains from a chance investment, another lost millions from a similar investment. Someone got married to their dream spouse, another got divorced from the person they thought was a dream spouse.
The list of life’s paradoxes is endless, but I hope by now you understand that great and awful things happen to people across the globe each day. This is called LIFE. Sometimes we find ourselves in situations we least imagined or ever expected, and other times, we become guilty of the very act we once condemned someone else of. We also come to realize that life does not always seem fair. For how can a person who is proactive about their health be diagnosed with a terrible disease while another who has never given thought to it be healthy? Why is it that a young person with so much to offer the world meets their untimely death while another who is desperate to leave this earth remains alive? We will never understand many of life’s happenings. The reality is that we were not designed to understand or know everything. So, if you find yourself in a bind, don’t give up. That situation/predicament will have to “pass” at some point. One of the best things you can do for yourself during those moments is to perform a life-analysis on yourself and find an expedient way to overcome and/or learn from it. If on the other hand, you are experiencing great times, take time to savor it and be grateful. Some of us are so scared to embrace life in its fullest form because we are scared and anxious about what lies beyond. By so doing, we fail to recognize the many blessings bestowed upon us in the “NOW”.
Many years ago, I chanced upon the lyrics to a song performed by Frank Sinatra. It’s titled “Let’s Face the Music”. I’m not one to usually listen to his music but there was a phrase in that song that got my rapt attention. Part of the lyrics to the song read like this:
“There may be trouble ahead, But while there’s moonlight and music and love and romance, Let’s face the music and dance
Before the fiddlers have fled, Before they ask us to pay the bill, And while we still have the chance, Let’s face the music and dance
Soon, we’ll be without the moon, Humming a different tune And then…”
I was fascinated by the phrase “before they ask us to pay the bill, … let’s face the music and dance”. Upon hearing these words, I was immediately transported to a scene in a restaurant. I imagined a couple fearing enjoying a meal because of the cost. Well, it will be an unfortunate situation because they will still be required to pay full price regardless of their experience. It will therefore be expedient to enjoy the moment as much as possible. This restaurant scenario is parallel with life. Life is like a dance; sometimes the music has a fast and loud tempo and other times, it’s slow and faint. You may not know how to dance perfectly but whatever the pace, you must keep dancing to stay alive. Just make sure that your ears are sharpened enough to hear the music because the moment you stop dancing, is the moment you begin to lose yourself.
