Today I met with my financial advisor and came
away feeling somewhat discouraged. I had
to face reality—I will not be living high on the hog in my old age. If the time comes to seek a retirement home,
I will have to find quarters in relatively low rent accommodations. Perhaps it is based on the mind’s capacity to
rationalize, but I have determined to cast this in a positive light. I ask, what is most important—and find for me
that answer is happiness. And what
brings happiness but a feeling of meeting challenges and serving basic purposes—of
defining vital missions to fill in daily life that can imbue it with a sense of
meaning, in the end, a sense of being needed. For me, this has always centered on having the
capacity to realize love in daily life—in the things I do and the people with whom
I am destined to associate. I ask: In
the past have my dreams of a stellar career materialized? I must answer “no”. On the other hand, do I find vital purpose
and mission in my present situation? The
answer is most certainly “yes”. So,
likewise, I conclude that living in old age in a retirement home where every
want and need are met is less important than feeling a challenge to lovingly
contribute wherever I am. I could well
feel useless in the lap of luxury without any challenges to meet or positive
contributions to make. It could result
in a well-heeled but quiet desperation. I
am a fighter at heart, and do best with constant challenges to meet. God knows best what is good for me—far better
than myself. I optimally thrive under some
pressure necessitating reliance on the exercise and leadings of divine love.
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