Day 021: Busy, busy. Why am I writing this blog?
36yearsago.com
Vienna 1971—A Student Journal
A year of music, study, travel, sightseeing &
friends.
Day
21 — Busy, busy. Why am I writing this blog?
23-August-1971
(Mon.)
TRANSCRIPT
• Keeping very busy.
• I can’t keep up in school work.
REFLECTIONS
Life
is busy. 36 years
ago, busy, busy. 36 years later, still busy, busy.
What’s up with that? There’s a word for it…the word
is…”life.” Life keeps us busy. I personally don’t
remember a time when I wasn’t busy with a million
things. There is never enough time…there has never
been enough time. Conclusion? It’s good to be active.
Today in 2007, I’m busy AND tired, and sometimes a
little grumpy. I also think that I’m still generally
enthusiastic and positive.
Perspective
and charity. Today,
most of us are fortunate enough to have lives that
don’t require a day-to-day struggle with life and
death subsistence. We complain about minor
things—work loads, money, time, traffic, school,
homework and such. However, there are many who
struggle to survive in ways that are difficult to
believe are still a part of today’s world. There is
always hope. It is profound to see the impact that
the charitable foundation of Bill and Melinda Gates
is having in many parts of the developing world. The
world owes them. Thank you.
Moving on.
Why am I writing this blog?
Cool idea. I did
mention a couple of reasons on the Welcome page of
this site as to why I started this blog. One reason
is just the cool idea to be able to reflect back 36
years on the day-by-day perspective of normal life
and routines in that year as a young student. I am
glad that I am trying to keep the journal
day-synced
to the
same day. For example, an Aug. 3, 1971 entry = an
Aug. 3, 2007 reflection.
Youthful
enthusiasm. A second
reason is to encourage the enthusiasm that is a
natural part of everyone who is young—yes, that’s
you. If you are young and your life is just starting
in front of you, be enthusiastic, follow your dreams,
just do it. It’s ok to want to conquer the world,
attain success, become fabulously wealthy, and
achieve international fame. (You can also aim for
world domination, just like Google.) If you are
mid-life or older, recapture that youthful
enthusiasm.
Be
real. The
natural enthusiasm of youth is always tempered by the
same fears, uncertainties, questions, and unknowns
that follow us throughout our lives. Yes, we still
have questions and unknowns later on. It’s ok to be
realistic—not everyone will be a best-selling
novelist—but you don’t have to give up your goals or
dreams (you can still write). Rekindle that
enthusiasm.
Young
and old. I hope
this blog touches two groups of people—those who are
young, and those who are older
than young; in other
words, everyone.
To
the young. If you are
young, just keep moving forward. Try out things. Be
creative. Be yourself. Keep on a good path and don’t
be swayed by others to be destructive to yourself
(you know, cigarettes, excessive drinking, drugs,
fast driving, and so on). Be naturally afraid, be
naturally curious. Most importantly, go for your
dreams. Never give up. Sure, life will send you in
new and practical directions—you may end up being a
doctor, lawyer, teacher, or accountant but you can
still play your rock guitar in the evenings and on
weekends.
To
the “older than young.” Ok, we’re
usually boring. We work for a living. We pay bills,
rents, mortgages, insurance, food, and take care of
our beloved pets. As students, we may have tried many
creative things—played in bands, painted, written
fiction. As young adults we may have been successful
in starting businesses, coaching pee-wee soccer, or
helping in a soup kitchen. Whatever it is,
we
do many
things. We
have many
stories to tell.
If you are ready, it may be time to rekindle your
enthusiasm, whether young or older. Get young and be
creative once again. At the least, I’m hoping you
will pick up a digital camera and fall in love with
photography. Your computer is asking you to feed it
with beautiful photography.
Start the journey. Every
journey begins with the first step. Hopefully, we
will all take those tiny first baby steps on our own
personal journeys.
• 1971 was fun.
• 2007-2008 will also be fun.
• We’ll have fun together.
John
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