Family Life

Midlife Reflections

/ markmkane / 6 Comments

A7

Back when I was much younger and starting out in the workforce, I used to think that a good paying job was the endgame to being happy and successful in life.  All that consumed me was trying to work for a company where I could climb that corporate ladder to a six figure salary; I was young, naive and dreamed big.  Little did I know that “all that glitters is not gold”.

I’ve seen people in good paying jobs but miserable as heck.  And I’ve seen the opposite, some in okay paying jobs but loving every minute of it.

Regardless of pay, we need to be happy in our jobs.  Why you may ask?  Since we spend three-quarters of the day at our place of employment, it stands to show that it’s like our second home with our second family.

If we can’t be happy there, then those feelings sometimes get transposed into our home lives.  We may not do that intentionally but it happens.  Life is too short to be miserable and stressed out.

In my current stage in life, I’ve come to the realization that life is meant to be enjoyed to its fullest.  After enduring the trials and tribulations of working many jobs, I only now know that if you’re not happy or enjoying what you do, find something that will.  Better late than never, right?

A5

This newfound wisdom is something that I impart on my children constantly.  So the next time you’re out job hunting, rather than asking yourself “how much does it pay?”, ponder on whether it’s something that you would “love” or “enjoy” doing for the rest of your life.  If you choose to follow the latter path, the pay will come.  Work for love, not money.

A6

 

 

My Perfect Day

/ markmkane / 2 Comments

p1

We’ve all heard the phrase “That team played a perfect game”, “He/she got a perfect score on the test”, “That was the perfect date”, “He was a perfect gentleman” or “That was a perfect day.”

That word “perfect” obviously meant flawless, without fail.  Things went so smoothly that the stars aligned and there wasn’t an ounce of disruption in your particular quest.

For some odd reason that word came to my mind this past week and I tried to fathom what I did in my life that was so “perfect.”

Yes, I’ve had a perfect score on an exam before so that was easy to relate to but as for the rest, I had a hard time trying to comprehend what that really meant.  I figured I’d sleep on it and try to tackle that the next day.

The next day arrived; there were no plans or errands to do so it was pretty much a chill day.

BEEP, BEEP, BEEP…I sluggishly turned off the blaring alarm clock and rubbed my tired eyes awake.  I looked to my left and saw my wife, Iris, of 20 years still asleep; she was always a deep sleeper.

I gazed at her for a moment and a flood of memories washed over me.  It was like a video album showcasing all of the good and  bad times; I smirked at how we ended up together and miraculously endured all of this.

Just then, our 3 year old dog “Chibi” started to lick my face as if to say “Good Morning, time for my morning walk now” or it just could have meant “Are you awake now?  Good, let’s go play!”  Chibi then turned her attention to my wife and did what the alarm clock could not do.

We got out of bed and did our normal routine.  Soon after my son, Conor, woke up somberly said good morning and immediately turned on the TV as he plopped on the couch.  Soon after my daughter, Chloe, awoke and joined Conor on the couch.

They weren’t their boisterous selves, more like morning zombies adjusting to the daylight and getting their bones, muscles and joints acclimated to the new day.

As the day wore on, our house started to liven up to its usual self.  There would be times where I saw Chloe and Conor laughing about something, joking with Iris or playing with Chibi.

Throughout the day, we all would be interacting with each other in some fashion.  As the day turned to night, we continued doing our little things to keep us occupied, all the while still connecting with one another.

The day came to an end and we all prepped for the next day of work and school.  As we said our goodnights, I laid there in the dark and mulled over what took place throughout the day.

It was just a simple ordinary day of really doing nothing and just relaxing with the family.  We laughed, joked and did inconsequential things but enjoyed every minute of it unbeknownst to us all.

I replayed the entire day in my mind’s eye and took stock of how beautiful that was. My sense of appreciation was immeasurable.  Nothing went wrong, there were no major disruptions…I couldn’t have asked for a better day.  It was simply “perfect”; it was “My perfect day.”

p2