I recently bought a box of frames from a resale store. They’re intricately carved, rubbed with gold leaf, and held someone’s diplomas from their extensive schooling. It was interesting that something so lovely was no longer valued, and revealed with startling clarity what really matters in the end and what doesn’t. The truth is we are always giving away beautiful and useful things. Items we’ve worked hard for and desired so deeply, we loved them for a time and then grew tired of them. This is how it goes, because in the end things are not what really matter. What truly matters has to do with feeling and emotion, how much we love and our loved, and a sense of belonging, place, and purpose.
What really stuck me with my new find was how a stranger’s entire life’s work ended up in my hands. That person and everything they valued was gone and so was their family, or no one cared enough or bothered to remember. I’m not sure which is worse. But the bottom line is that the defining moments of this person’s life were unceremoniously given away. It got me thinking about why we work so hard for all these beautifully unnecessary things we just end up discarding, and whether we really love what we are working towards in our lives or are just collecting artifacts or accolades that in the end don’t really matter if our heart and soul aren’t in it as well.
How many of our desires, obsessions, or derailments are really worth our time and energy? Are we living from the inside out, or do we sidetrack ourselves from matters of the heart, like connection, community, and service? Do we defer to what others think and override what we know? In the end, are we investing our time and energy in things that don’t really matter in the big scheme of our lives? Lots of questions, but this I know, it’s not good enough to just fill our time here. What we do has to matter to us. And the funny thing is, when it does matter to us, everyone else can feel it.
Maya Angelou has said, no one may remember what you did or said but they always remember how you made them feel. And I think this statement points us true north to what matters the most; how much we feel and whether we are in a reciprocal relationship with life. When we invest our time and energy into what really resonates or feels right for us, our positivity, joy, and inspiration is palpable. Being actively engaged in our lives subtly encourages change in the lives of those around us. This is something that will never end up in a box to be thrown away.
Yes, our life’s work does matter. But it’s a different kind of work than getting a better title or a promotion or another diploma to prove we matter. It’s about the depth and quality of how we feel as we move through the most ordinary parts of our day. It’s the kind of work that starts inside and shifts everything we think we know. This helps shine a light in the darkness so others can see. When we rise, we help others rise. It’s not degrees or accomplishments or what other’s think about us, it’s how we feel about what we are doing, what we offer, and how much we love. And luckily for us, every moment is an opportunity to do the work that matters.
Be kind. Love more. Live your life like it matters. It does.
kb
