Perspective Day

Wouldn’t you know it - chronic bronchitis chooses the Christmas period to raise its ugly head. One of the up sides of feeling rotten and spending most of the day in bed, is a chance to catch up on what Covey calls “quadrant 2″ activities. Things that are important but not urgent. I had time to listen to some audio books and watch some PBS. I listened to N.T.Wright, watched a documentary on Austria in the afternoon that made me feel homesick and then watched a documentary on C.S. Lewis.

Maybe you have them too - every now and again I have what call “perspective days”.
Chances to stop, think, re-evaluate, occasions to reminded of your mortality. It sounds rather morbid, maybe it is the high Introvert in me, but I welcome them.

They’re like a buzzing alarm clock waking me from the stupor that much of western life can sometimes be - the endless droning of marketers pumping our materialism; buy me, own me, let me make you feel better . . .

It rarely does.

So as I approach mid life the questions I asked as a young man return:

What should I do with the rest of my life?
Am I doing the right thing?
Is there something that I should be doing that I am not?
What is important in life?
Is there anything happening/not happening now that will be a source of regret later?

I’m not sure if I have the answer to all of them . . . but then again, I haven’t met many who do.