Monday, February 18, 2008

Living a Full Life

Quest by Quotation

The remarkable thing is that it is the crowded life that is most easily remembered. A life full of turns, achievements, disappointments, surprises, and crises is a life full of landmarks. The empty life has even its few details blurred, and cannot be remembered with certainty. Eric Hoffer

Would you say your life is full or empty? Write down the "turns, achievements, disappointments, surprises, and crises" of the last month and see how full it maybe.

I admit it. I hadn't the impetus to write between the middle of December and now. The cajoling of friends didn't do it. The need to be creative didn't do it. All that time and nothing really to show for it. But here I am, writing again. Why now?

The short answer is that my husband got up at 4:30AM this morning, and, therefore, so did I. The longer answer is that I have started a new job, life is fuller, and I alway seem to write best when I don't "have the time."

Nothing like typing "full life" into bartleby.com and getting Eric Hoffer's quote. It affirmed to me the sense that I have of the universe lining up the way it is for a reason. The time I had off from full-time, non-temporary assignments was full in other regards. But it was time to move forward and I have been blessed enough to find a job that makes a difference in people's lives while allowing me to have more time with my family. With a first grandbaby coming, that is even more of a priority.

Prepping for my new job hire, as I practiced answering behavioral interviewing questions, allowed me to revisit the "turns, acheivements, disappointments, surprises, and crises" of my life. "Talk about a time when you failed at something." "Describe a time when you had to be prepared for any eventuality." "What do you consider your best acheivement." My spouse and I went through one hundred of those types of questions. A crash course in life reflection in the space of a week. A full life, getting more interesting all the time. All that pondering has cleared the deck for the next portion of my life and learning.

So here I go....

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