The dreadful feeling of approaching the big three 0 leaves
you thinking if this is all it. Sure, everything has turned out pretty much as planned (or at least within plus or
minus 5, 10, or 25%, depending on who you are). And that’s exactly why it’s bothering you. Has life given up on you? Has it no more
surprises left to offer? Is this it? Are you supposed to live the rest of it
like those before you?
Whether it’s about moving on to the next phase, failing to
work out a marriage, crying over losses, or simply not being ready to give up
the luxury of banging different bimbos every other night (or every night),
everyone need a break, a time to reflect and ponder; a time for making choices. In the end, you can either stick with what
you have: work it out or try to bring out the best out of the worst. Or you can say: screw this shit, move on, and
find something different, risky, uncertain, and adventurous for the sole
purpose of self discovery: life is only but one. Either should work just fine (who to say
otherwise? You don’t know what’s ahead beyond the horizon)
Perhaps it’s about the fear of facing the uncertainty of
tomorrow. Not only has the “regularity”
of every day life boxed you inside a tiny cubicle, you can smell the boredom of
those before you, compounded by an exemplary demonstration: no such thing is
long lasting. And when that surprise
(last one?) suddenly appears out of nowhere, seducing you to live life with a
spice of spontaneity (like back in the days, childhood, teenage years, college,
or grad school, again, depending on who you are), even tricking you into
gambling what you have build for so long, you suddenly realize and appreciate
what you have all along. This is of
course a reminder of how things work (or least in my interpretation). The dream or plan at first seems like a
pretense not ever going to materialize. When
the realization comes that life has actually gone as planned, the flame of
excitement has already faded. Crossing a
busy crossroads can be confusing and the temptations can push you into making
quick decisions without thinking about the consequences. You then find yourself in a hole. Of course, when it comes to making choices, one realizes that a
decision cannot be unmade. The essence
can still be recovered by accepting the truth, facing it, and sticking with
it. It will never be the same, but it’s
better than staying behind and living the past in the present.
Of course this is just my own perspective of what I saw
(take a guess). The message is quite
straightforward, although I do sense some subtlety in some respect. You kinda have to concentrate to get a sense
of what is going on because too many things are happening (and too simple?). I
still honestly think this can somehow be branded chick flick, but the message
is quite a reminder of how our appreciation of the present is often blurred
with the expectation or uncertainty of tomorrow.
All in all, this kinda reminded me of how the year of 2006
has gone so far. A year of many
happenings I say, more than I can ask for. A reminder that the bad choices, stupid decisions, tragedies, missteps,
missed opportunities, disappointments, failures, conflicts, misinterpretation, and the
things you did not mean to say or do, can not be unmade. But the experiences gained from these are so
valuable that, in an alternative perspective, they can be thought as the
beginnings of the most wonderful things yet to come. In short, keep dreaming big and taking a far
reaching outlook. Keep it positive,
though. Live life at the present; take
it one day at a time because tomorrow is today. Don’t occupy your mind today worrying about tomorrow. You might get a slap in the face once in a
while, but don’t let it keep you away from moving ahead. And, something I often forget, be spontaneous
once a while (or often). To avoid
prejudicial tendencies, a zero mindset (in the context of an open mind) can
take you far.
All right, enough with this spiel.