Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Wisdom's Watching 10/06/09

Tomorrow hopes that we have learned something from yesterday.

John Wayne
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Let's go.
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Here I am on the cusp of my 8th decade and it seems to me that life is still about learning the rules. As I was working on one of my paintings yesterday I was wondering if I will ever learn how to paint. I was an actor for 50 years and one thing I learned during that time was that I didn't know as much about acting as I thought I did. That's not so surprising, I suppose. One can say that about any of life's ventures.

In my youth I gleefully and proudly acknowledged that I was an actor. Then, a few times, and an unfortunately few times, I worked with older actors who really knew their business. Those few times opened my eyes to what the potential was for really excellent work and set me to learning more. No longer content with what I was capable of I set out to gain more knowledge of my craft and my art.

Leigh, in her journal http://leigh-mythoughtshonestly.blogspot.com/, writes "Living a life of possibilities and new experiences. My life's journey has been, and still is a learning experience."

I applaud that. I think this is the truth of things. The journey is all about the journey. The question "When will I learn to live?" is matched by "What will I learn today?" What will I learn today about life? And when my today becomes yesterday what will it mean to tomorrow? What new experience will I have, what new horizon of possibilities will come into view for me? What experiences of yesterday can I leave in the ground as seeds for tomorrow's harvest? Not just what rocky roads might I find tomorrow and how will I deal with them, but what challenges did I successfully meet yesterday and what did I learn from them?

We are all capable of more than we do. That's true. But it is also true that we are all more capable than we think we are.

"Will I ever learn and, if so, when?" I like to think that Lawrence Olivier, Leonardo Da Vinci and Albert Einstein were asking themselves those question right to the end.

DB - Vagabond Journeys
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May you be swift to love.
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P. S. My leg has much improved.

3 comments:

Arlene (AJ) said...

I believe that every day is a challenge for each of us to keep learning and I know that I look forward to see what tomorrow will bring my way challenge wise and look foward to each day and enjoying or getting through the day. I believe it's when you give up and stop reaching for whatever life offers that it makes all the worlds difference in enjoying life to the fullest. You are definitely a survivor DB, good for you.

Ken Riches said...

It is amazing to me how we go through various phases of our lives, sometimes stepping outside our comfort zone and demonstrating our capabilities and more. At other times, our situation and/or environment dictates we go into a holding pattern, not living up to our capabilities, but getting by until the next opportunity arises :o)

Trees said...

I firmly believe that no matter where life takes us in our journey, whether we have set backs or forge ahead or we feel like we just cant continue, always a challenge is given out in our path and for me I rise to that challenge as no matter what life throws at me I consider it a learning experience and though some experiences are devestating I have found that I have come out of those a little bit wiser and with more knowledge to not make the same mistakes twice. Every day meets with new challenges it is how we handle those challenges and what we learn from them that makes our journey worthwhile.