Lunch With A Friend

Yesterday it was colder outside than it appeared from inside my office. Nevertheless, spring is here. Fresh mulch has been spread around the trees and bushes in our park. The dogwood's are blooming and bright yellow daffodils make the drive home more beautiful. Mornings are still cool but the smell in the air is fresh and different from the coolness of a autumn morning. You can tell that nature is bursting at the seams and everything is ready to rise from it's winter sleep.

After my daily thoughts yesterday about how I am sometimes just bored with my day, at least one person thanked me for admitting it and making it acceptable for other people to admit the same thing.

I had lunch yesterday with one of my favorite friends. One of the reasons I like her so much is that we can talk about anything. We had known one another for a long time before we actually became friends. At one time we sat next to one another. I believe the intention behind that was so she could be a positive influence on me and reform me. Well, she has been a positive influence but I am beyond reform. What happened is that we became very close friends. In the days before my coffee maker was kidnapped by Building Maintenance, I used to make her a fresh pot of "Fog Lifter" coffee when she arrived each day. We had a very enjoyable working relationship and some great coffee breaks. Yesterday at lunch we talked of many things. We talked about relationships, spouses, children, work, personal frustrations and a couple of hundred other things. One topic related a bit to my thoughts from yesterday. Sometimes in life, usually around middle age, it is not uncommon to feel a need for a break from your life. For some people this becomes a mid life crisis. For other people it may be nothing but private thoughts on a rainy afternoon. Many professional people, and others with the financial means to do so, often go on a sabbatical. Most people, however, don't have the means to take off a month, six months, or a year, to renew and refresh themselves. We don't have the luxury to step away from our "normal" life in order to gain a new perspective on it, or to pursue some course of study that might enrich it. Since I came out of the closet and admitted that sometimes I get bored, let me step out a little bit more and speak out for everyone who sometimes get tired of being someone's spouse, someone's parent, someone's child, or someone's employee. Sometimes we would just like to own our individual lives. Occasionally I try to imagine a day or a week or a month of total freedom with no obligations, commitments, or promises to keep. I am not suggesting an irresponsible, totally self centered, childish wild weekend. I am suggesting stepping back and taking a break from our lives for personal renewal and refreshment. This takes more than a day. Sometimes we are so close to our own lives that we can't see the forest for the trees. I say all of this while acknowledging that most of us, including me, have pretty decent lives. However, it's not a bad thing to sometimes feel boredom, fatigue, or even a little resentment from the demands of our lives. It's not always selfish to be a little self centered. It's a normal feeling. Don't feel bad if you sometimes have these feelings. I think it's a rare person who never feels like this. Welcome to the human race.