When I considered a topic for this week’s #ThursdayThoughts blog, nothing sprang to mind initially. Some weeks, I instinctively know what topic I will be writing about and other weeks, something might happen to inspire the subject matter, but today it was a tweet. I happened to be out on Twitter just before heading on the road for my morning commute and I saw this thoughtful tweet asking a question of her followers.
[CLICK TWEET TO ENLARGE]
One of the accounts I follow wanted to know if you were given a box of everything you’ve ever lost, what would you look for first? What an interesting question, I thought. So I pondered it for a little bit and then responded but in doing so I realized based on the different emotions and thoughts that spring to mind that this was going to be my topic. My answer, by the way…
[CLICK TWEET TO ENLARGE]
How would you answer that question? Would you be as Cavalier or silly as me with your first answer. I really do mean what I wrote though. Anyone else who has a long-time physical injury or ailment of some kind will understand. It has been such a long time — such a VERY long time since I had two working knees — even if they were creaky or slightly achy and pre-arthritic from bowling for over 10 years and occasionally crashing on the approach because of the slippery lanes or just plain falling on my ass and usually that too involved my knees simply from being clumsy by nature. So even though it sounds like a joke answer, I really do wish that I could experience range of motion and movement in both of my knees again. And then there are my second and third answers which may need a little explanation.
I know there was a time where I felt more free to do as I wish because I felt there was a lot more time ahead. I also had a lot more energy. But now, as I’m older, I see where restrictions hold me back so that I cannot feel so fearless anymore because I have limitations — physical ones mostly, but some emotional ones, too. And I hate that, but we aren’t always able to do something about that.
And then there’s the writing thing. I haven’t been making any admirable attempts to do much to change that although I did at one point feel inspired to start looking at my book plan again and even began picking up on a chapter. But because of a combination of my work schedule, physical and mental weariness from said schedule and just a general lack of hunger to write — not much is happening in that department these days, other than blogs like these and the occasional poem.
There are so many things that we lose along the way in our lives, really meaningful things and beings, like beloved pets, peopleimportant to us, jobs that fulfill us and talents or capabilities we once had but no longer possess. We may think that we would wish to have all those things back again, but for me, I don’t think so. Those were different chapters of my life, and although I loved my beloved pet Dexter, I’m in a new chapter now, a chapter called Jax. I will always have two beautiful distinct memories from the relationships I created with my dog then and my dog now and each will hold their own corner of my heart that’s all theirs.
I also know that every person who has touched my life and left either because of friendships that changed, people moving away and losing touch, or due to their death, their presence in my life at one time had a direct effect on me but so did there eventual removal from my life. All of that adds up to the person I have become so I wouldn’t want to change any of that, even the heartaches we go through. We might say that we wished we hadn’t experienced it, but I know I became stronger because of it and I know there are things I’ve written that I would not have been able to write had I not gone through it so I would not wish any of those experiences away even the painful ones.
We are all lost in the woods at various points in our lives. Some of us stay lost for a lot longer. But the possibility of finding what was once lost — what a fascinating concept. But would you jump on it? Think about it. How would you answer that question on Twitter — if you were given a box of all the things that you have lost over the years, what would you be looking for first? Share your thoughts in the comments on the blog or in the social media neighborhood where you found this link. I always love hearing from you. Thanks for reading. ~ Chris K.
(photo source, unknown)
Follow Chris!