The Timeshare Beat: Jerry Sikes; With Regard to a Lifetime

"The point of living, and of being an optimist, is to be foolish enough to believe the best is yet to come." -Peter Ustinov-

Each of us is born of circumstances chosen by something else, and much of our early lives are determined by those conditions. Consider that early existence as being contained in a box of sort, some will consider the box shelter and some will consider it a cage. Eventually each will venture beyond the confines, one rather hesitant and the other with exuberance. From that point on, that first exposure to what exists beyond, the quality of our lifetime will be dependent on self-determination.

Those whose circumstances were of the proverbial "silver spoon" may have had a more opulent box than those whose conditions were humble in nature, however each had limits, each restricted, and each separated the one contained from a world of eventualities. Some exit the box naked and others with lots of baggage. Some would chance only arm's length, so that they may scurry back to safety at the first sign of difficulty, while others bound eagerly toward the unknown. Some have those who are part of their environment that cling and inhibit while others have those who encourage and push. Some leave reluctantly and others are literally dumped into the fray. Nevertheless, once the walls have been breached, the achievements of our lifetime will be determined by how we exercise free will.

There are those who found their birth factors so distasteful that they escaped those confines only to place themselves (by their own free will) into circumstances equally as confining. As an example, take the one born into a dysfunctional family in the barrio, who gave in to the trap of the street gang. Some, who had it all given to them while in their box, found it difficult when all is not given to them in the outside environment, so they just took. Some learned that another kind of haven could be found (or induced) by chemical means. Most found that even though they were in such circumstances by their own free will, they had replaced one kind of dependency for another and eventually may have lost their will. Many so called experts will say that the conditioning which occurred while within the confines of our particular box will denominate our actions outside forever, that the training or coaching received then will be so inherent as to never be overcome.

I believe that each of us is initially placed at a trailhead and given the opportunity to build a road. How we choose to build our road and where our road goes is, or will be, a study of self-determination and free will

The accumulation of the lessons we take advantage of, the role models we encounter, mental and physical exercises we perform, the courage we acquire, the creativity we expose, and the attitudes we develop (among other things) provide the tools which we have to use as we build our road and the judgment to select the right paths as each intersection or fork along the way is attained. As we encounter obstacles along the way we can choose to engage those tools we have obtained in order to clear the way or we can choose to take the easy way and by-pass the impediments. Those who choose to use their tools find that with each usage the instruments become more effective, the methods of engagement become more inventive and the obtaining of additional tools more readily rewarding. Those who choose expedience, evasion, and avoidance as each hindrance presents itself will surely realize a destination faster, however that achievement may not be quite as fulfilling, the experience less gratifying, the toolbox less filled and the instruments contained therein rusty and/or dull.

Those who choose to overcome will be able to look back down the road they have traveled and admire the results of their drive. They can see a way where each impediment encountered was shattered and then smoothed, where each crossing was traversed and then bridged and where each obstacle was breached then tunneled. Their view will clearly indicate that the effort required to achieve the destination was ten times more satisfying than the actual arriving itself. Those who choose the more rapid and less challenging routes to the destination overly celebrate the arrival and will generally avoid looking back at the way they came or the methods used to achieve. That way will obviously be stifled with boulders to avoid, impaired with rivers to be forged, blocked by mountains to be scaled and the ways chosen around, across or over not necessarily those which one would point to or brag about.

Final thought

We are granted but one lifetime and no matter what the circumstances of our birth, the choices that we must make will determine the legacy we leave. That legacy is like the footprints, which remain as we make our way along the paths we have chosen. If we choose always to walk only on the beach then we can be assured that with each rising tide all evidence of our passage is forever removed.

As we approach the end of 2001 many of us will be making New Years Resolutions. Resolve to get off the beaten path and blaze a new trail on which you can leave a mark that will endure........