Too Fast and Too Soon

As I sit here so early in the morning, I find myself thinking about my oldest granddaughter because it is her birthday today. She is turning eight, but it is almost impossible for me to believe that eight years have past. I still remember the joy and happiness that she gave me by merely saying “grandpa” for the first time, or how special I feel when she smiles and laughs at my clowning around. She is a wonderful little girl and I wish her the greatest birthday ever.

Yes, birthdays make me nostalgic, but remembering the past helps one to focus on the present. For example, with our kids, it seemed like they were grown and moving out of the house in what seemed a blink of an eye. At one moment, your kids are enthusiastically following you around, asking questions about everything and anything. Soon, however, friends and popular media garner your child's enthusiastic attention. It is a part of growing up, but it happens so quickly that parents are frequently taken by surprise when their kids no longer look at them as the absolute authority on everything.

This is where remembering the past can be useful. I know that it will not be very long before my granddaughter is more concerned about talking to her friends than she is with talking to her old grandpa. As was said earlier, it is a part of growing up. Yet, knowing that this is the way of things, I am more resolved to enjoy all the time with her that is possible. If age accounts for any kind of wisdom, the one thing that I have learned from my life is that we must make the most of the time that we have with those we love the most.

Destiny?

When we look back at what has occurred in our lives to bring us to this moment, and it is realized how our fate would be dramatically different as a result of one small, seemingly, insignificant change, it is extremely easy to believe that our fate is predetermined. For example, if you first met your spouse in line at the bank, it is human nature to think about how close you came to deciding not to go to the bank that particular day. Further still, we may wonder if things would have turned out the same if, for instance, you arrived at the bank 30 seconds later. Certainly, this small change might have made it impossible to talk to them in line. Moreover, this demonstrates the complexity of fate and the influence of exact timing. However, more often than not, one's destiny is predominately influenced by the choices and actions of that individual.

For example, NBC News reports that the fate of the Boston Marathon bomber, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who is charged with 17 death penalty counts resulting from the bomb he set at the finish line of the marathon, is presently being decided by the trial jury. In this instance, it is obvious that Mr. Tsarnaev's fate, be it life in prison or death, are the product of his actions. If he did not set the bomb, he would not be facing this dire outcome. Indeed, he made his fate but, sometimes, fate cannot be mapped and analyzed so easily.

 

Is there an ultimate fate that guides you through life? Do you believe that it is impossible to change the fate that has been assigned to you by a higher power, or by some other built-in mechanism of our universe that predetermines the outcome of every situation or event, thus, fostering order from chaos? I believe that it is safe to say that we have all occasionally subscribed to the idea that our fate is not in our control. Sometimes, the belief in fate and destiny overshadow an individual's common sense, as well as the tools that help us manage our destinies.

Caution is necessary. The idea that our fate is already decided easily becomes an excuse for some to do nothing to improve their lives. I know because I have been there. Do some forget that they are powerful and have the ability to learn, plan and act in a manner that creates opportunity and positive outcomes for the future?