A good think

Sometimes, when my schedule and the people on it allow, I like to treat myself to a good think.

And, because I’m a shark-thinker who lives in a river city, if I have the chance to muse, I always head to the water.

A few weeks ago, I caught a glimpse of some graffiti as I headed up the Lawe Street Hill near Lawrence University.

“There’s a “Why” in You” I read. (College town graffiti tends to be more philosophical than threatening).

So, I pondered.

What is the “why” in my you?

I won’t bore you with the details of my self-discovery, mostly because I found I still have a lot of thinking to do on that score, but I did enjoy the exercise in introspection.

Last night, I did another lap past the graffiti and found a somewhat startling addition.

“Well?” it read.

This graffiti doesn’t mess around.

Frankly, neither should we. We’ve got to make the most of our own beautiful “you-ness” and we’ve got to start now.

So, even as I enjoyed the regular sights and sounds of my evening constitutional, I thought pretty hard.

How will I leave this old world better than I found it?

How will you?

Sometimes, I think hell will be a small room with a projector running clips while a voice booms out “Look! These are all the things you could have accomplished in your life if you’d just leaned in.”

And, you’re stuck there watching because you had that one great life and you squandered it.

But, there’s good news too.

Because we all get a fresh start every day, and new opportunities to ponder.

So, if you’ll excuse me, I’m heading down to the river.

I think I’m going to take another lap.