Life is a complex Story

By Bruce Wade

They say trying to understand life is like trying to answer the question: What does the colour of the letter 7 sound like?

But why do we make it so complex? Surely Shakespeare got it right with ‘eat and drink for tomorrow we die’ Why then do we add in all this complex emotional and relational stuff?

Life is a story, a story that can only be told in the present and retold in the past. No one can do the tomorrow story, even though they promise wealth and sunshine once you have paid them. But life is your story. Your story that you have complete control over unless you give that choice away.

We all have a past, a ‘Once upon a yesterday’ story. Our past is the stuff that has happened, the things and people that have shaped us into who we are today. We stand tall on these stories. Not all of them are as good, I understand. Not all of them need to be shared, I get that too. But they have all shaped us.

Our story of tomorrow, the ‘Once upon a future’ story, lies ahead of us on the path of unknowns. We may have plans, we may have a purpose, but our lives hang on a very tender thread that can snap at any moment. One wrong turn, one phone call, one slip and our futures change dramatically in an instant. So planning may be great, but not guaranteed.

Today is today, our Once upon a now’ story. This is the story we need to be conscious of and present within. As our eyes flicker open and our feet hit the floor, we start a new page in our book of life, and a new day begins. What are we going to do? We need first to decide who is going to be our master for the day. I find so many people giving themselves up as slaves to the alarm clock, the traffic, the boss, and the agenda that someone else has set. This is not our story, but just a non-speaking gig in another story. Why?

What if we could script, tell and live our own story? Every moment, every day. What if we had the power to decide when we get up, when and what we eat? Who we interact with, and what the outcomes are of each action? What if we were the authors of our own lives?

What would need to change in your life to get to a place where you had the power to script your day, according to your desires, your pleasure, and your destiny?

Then the colour of the letter 7 sounds like music to the touch. Enjoy the ride.