“The real question
is, is there life before death?”
~Alan Cohen~
“There is just one
life for each of us: our own.”
~ Euripides~
Just this
week, I had the honor of attending the funeral of a man who, perhaps more than
anyone I’ve ever known, earned the right to ask, “Is this all there is?” And yet, he never did. A three-year battle with ALS forced him
to leave a career he loved. ALS
took a strapping, strong man and confined him to a wheel chair. It eventually did what it does to all people
with ALS. It killed him, leaving
behind a wife, two daughters, parents, and a brotherhood that loved him.
But Tracy
didn’t ask that question. He took
the disease head on. He gave
thanks that it was he that was diagnosed, and not others with less of a support
mechanism. He stayed
involved. He helped raise local
awareness of this crippling, fatal disease, and he professed his faith to the
bitter end.
Admittedly,
I don’t share Tracy’s same faith in a “savior” nor do I share in the same
belief of a hereafter: heaven, if you will. But I have been faced with that same question for much
lesser reasons, and most times, chose to look for more rather than fight. “Is this all there is?” I’d ask. “There must be more than just
this. I have to find it,” was very
nearly always my answer.
It’s a
“grass is always greener” scenario, and most of us already know how that plays
out. It’s no surprise, the grass
is nearly always greener where you water it.
Now, I
don’t live my life with much regret.
Perhaps I should. But, that
serves no real purpose. I have
been wired, conditioned, or taught, for whatever reason, to “seek.” I have, on numerous occasions, taken
the path less traveled for the sake of finding out if this is, indeed, all
there is. And I do have an answer
that works for me. Yes, this
is all there is.
Perhaps
you’re in a place where you’re asking yourself that same question. Maybe you’re sitting around the dinner
table with a wife and two children.
It’s loud, chaotic, and mundane.
That “spark” is gone from your marriage, or you feel tied down, or your
dreams are slipping away. Maybe
you’re feeling underappreciated at work.
Or maybe it’s you who has been diagnosed with a crippling or fatal
illness and you’re wondering, “Why me?”
If you
know me at all, you know I don’t profess to know the answers for you. Sadly, only you can know what rests
well with your spirit. But before
you go looking for whatever there is beyond “this,” be sure you’ve looked ahead
far enough to consider the cost. Venturing
out for greener pastures can mean heartache, loneliness, holidays without
family, unemployment, unrest, and much more. It can also mean liberation, freedom, excitement, and a
renewed sense of adventure. Again,
only you can answer that one. And
you may not know for sure until you try.
Here is
what I know for certain, no matter who you are. This is all there is.
It is. This relationship,
this car, this spouse, this job, this house, this life is all there
is. So you can stop asking that
question if you wish. It’s been
asked and answered over and over again.
The real question, before you decide to stay or venture out in search of
greener pastures is,
“What I
am going to do with it?”
