“If not now, when?”
~ the Talmud.
I always appreciate (hahahahahaha!) coming across a quote that feels like “a stick in the eye.” Or….a boot in the butt, or…..whatever simile floats your boat. A phrase or comment that rather shouts at me “Hey, pay attention! (Or to quote Bruce Willis’ John McClane: “Pop quiz (expletive deleted)”…. you remember that one, don’tcha?) The particular Talmudic quote/question above has raised its unarguably pointed head (pun intended) most all my life.
This past week I celebrated (privately, in Heart and Mind) the 33rd anniversary of my recovery journey. At that time, with a dad diagnosed with a terminal illness, a relatively new job in my new chosen profession, another marriage in a rocky boat, and….and….and, the choice (and it was a choice, as it always is) to ‘do’ something’ about it all “if not now, when” was loudly reverberating in my gut and head. ‘When’ became ‘Now.’
Thirty-three years and counting…. on more, more, more. Yesssss!
I am eternally grateful.
Historically, and today, as a prodigious listmaker I look at said-lists of things I wish to say, do, and be, discovering that same question is there in the forefront again – each and every time. Taking the time to really answer it reveals a multitude of things, predominantly: my habit of procrastination (Procrastination: def: “the spontaneous rearrangement of priorities.” Hahahaha! A personal favorite); the not-knowing-how; the recognition of a whimsical-idea vs. something I really want; my own growth-timing; or realizing it is someone else’s ‘want’ for me to say, do, and be. (I’ve gotten soooooo much-more-better at recognizing THAT one. Yea! Good for me!)
So, enough about me. What about you? If not now, when?
(Tell me more!)
Namaste’