May 14-A, 2023

Security and stability are the two big ones
when it comes to the necessary foundation
for a life well-lived.

We have to be able to pay the bills
and not worry about where to spend the night
or if we will eat the next day.

After that comes #3:
We have to incur the right bills!
The bills that are necessary
for us to buy the tools required
to live the life that is our life to live.

That is #4.
We have to know what life is our life to live.
It is not what we want to do that matters,
but what is ours to do,
what we must do,
what we are compelled to do,
what we are obliged to do,
what has both a sense of vitality about it,
so that our heart is in it,
and also a sense of urgency about it,
so that we don't put it off indefinitely,
but know that we have to be about it NOW.

Writing has always been in the mix for me,
and a camera.
I have never known what that meant,
and have slowly worked it out over time,
writing whatever seemed to need writing,
and photographing whatever seemed to need photographing.

I'm still following that paradigm.
The ministry was a good fit,
and gave me enough time of my own
to read what I wanted,
take whatever courses/seminars/retreats
that caught my eye,
and here I am,
by accident, one might say,
but also by design,
or better, perhaps,
that I could not have designed it better
than it has worked out for me,
just by following my interests
and being true to what had my name on it.

Having the first three items on the list in place
enabled me to live in the service of the fourth
over the course of my life,
saying, "Yes," to whatever needed saying "Yes" to,
and saying "No," to whatever needed saying "No" to.

That seemed to come easy for me,
knowing what was "Yes," and what was "No."
Like what book to read next,
and what books to not read at all.
What movies to watch
and what movies to have nothing to do with.

Everything flowed for me out of "Yes," and "No."

I don't know how it will be for you,
but I trust you to find your way,
just by being interested in seeing 
what attracts you,
interests you,
compels you,
calls your name.

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