Imagine the Freedom!

I have just finished up three weeks of vacation time.  During my time, I rode over 3000 km on my motorbike, watched movies with my children, played tennis and badminton, read during some quiet time, connected with great friends, played in the pool with my kids, went on a couple dates with my wife, had some time in prayer and enjoyed some good music.  Life was good.

During this time I appreciated my time with my children.  I was able to enjoy their contagious laughs, their beaming smiles, their peaceful company and their endearing personalities.  I loved the chance to just be a dad.  I was blessed with the time with my wife to take in an anniversary dinner and a movie that was beyond any expectation.  We watched the cliff swallows dive around in search a hearty meal to share with their young.  We sat together around campfires at a motorcycle rally and grew in our friendships with biker brothers and sisters. It was a simple life built around relationships.

Lotto 6/49 has the right slogan for their sales; Imagine the Freedom.  It isn’t about the money as much as it is about the freedom to focus on the joys in life.  The simple ones like watching the birds, the complex ones like realizing your children are getting to the age when you are providing much more guidance and basic parenting, when your role is changing and you either embrace it or dig in and refuse to accept the shift.  It’s the adventures of a 2500 km road trip in 5 days with friends of all appearances and backgrounds.  It’s knowing you have people in your life that you can call at any hour and know they will be there for you.  It’s all about relationship.  Personal relationships, familial and marital, friends and co-workers, spiritual and faith filled in Christ.

Despite not having a burning desire to return to work, I know I am blessed to have a job.  A good one at that.  A job that allows me the finances and flexibility to enjoy life outside of work.  I fully realize that it takes up a vast amount of my time, but it does not make up my identity; I am not my job.  My job serves as a means to enjoy the life that awaits outside of it.

So don’t frown on your circumstances.  They do not dictate who you are, but rather your true nature shows in how you handle your circumstances.

Everyone has a story.  You choose the ending.