Musings

A very close friend posted something to her Facebook page last night, something that prompted my sluggish brain to start thinking about it: "Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; but remember what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for."

As I said, it got me thinking. 

If you don't desire what you don't have, you have no goals.  Nothing to work toward.  Yes, sometimes wanting what you don't have can be destructive; however, without that desire for more, you have no reason to do more than the minimum to live.

I understand that there is a subset of young men that decide to do just that--the absolute minimum--and I understand their reluctance to work to earn more.  I understand totally: marriage is a dangerous gamble that can wipe out a life's work rewards, and the harder you work, the more the government takes to support those who believe it's their life's calling to be a deadbeat.  I know a lot of that bunch are fairly content with their lives, and many work just enough to fund their next trip. 

I cannot imagine it being anything other than an incredibly lonely existence.  Almost pointless, too. 

So, set yourself goals: real, attainable ones.  My goal is to get through this semester.  And to support Odysseus through college.  Those are short-term goals, I'll grant you (though the one with Odysseus being back in classes is sort of long term, and sort of the first part of a longer term goals), but with two kids, short-term is all I can do right now. 

But it still gives me something to work towards.