Life today is awash in quotes, sayings, bromides, and any short take on the language. Some are dreamy wisps of the impossible or improbable. Others are commands that leave no doubt as to what we need to do to live well and die happy.
Some are as old as civilization while others are so new they are a near perfect match to our present condition. Some come from history’s greatest philosophers and leaders while others have been written by common folks able to give new thoughts a different twist.
Not only are they persuasive, they are everywhere — used as brief fillers of space in magazines, included in the scripts of movies or appearing in books to help make a convincing point for a plot.
On the home scene, they are often taped or held by magnets to the refrigerator that while standing tall among all other appliances, prominently displays them every day. That is, if the space hasn’t already been taken by family pictures, mementos or reminders of “must see” and “must do.”
Or as someone once said, the refrigerator is to a home what Grand Central Station is to railways and what JFK airport is to air travel. So it’s a natural collection point for more than reminders of what needs to be done. It’s also a point of factual reference, a place for posting words and pictures exuding some kind of emotion ranging all the way from a dreamy thought to a call for escape.
Like many other refrigerators, ours has always served us in the same logical ways. What is attached to its three sides is scant but selected with care. The best evidence of that is the presence of only one saying that’s been on the front so long that we no longer remember its source.
What immediately hits home is that it amounts to only seven words, so it can be comprehended with only a glance. Also, instead of preaching or demanding, it merely reminds. Best of all, it’s simple, logical, and solidly positive.
It reads: An interesting life is a choice.
That point can’t be argued. What a person makes of their life rests not on the shoulders of anyone or any group but solidly on their own. One can remain firmly anchored only in what comes along or engineer the circumstances as much as possible to bring about events and opportunities alien to their usual way of thinking or reacting.
Or that same person can gently but firmly twist their imagination in another direction that then seems to open up new possibilities for doing, experiencing, and learning. Each opportunity accepted then reveals a new awareness of the world around us, things we never noticed or acted upon before. That act of adding anything new isn’t lost on the human brain. It not only notices but gets excited enough to then open still more doors causing us to ask the “if” question far more often and enthusiastically greet the answer.
When that is accepted by our conscious mind, we then begin filling in enough blanks to cause us to do what we have never done before, meet people we have never seen before, and go places that until then had only been items in a so-called “wish list.”
As this unfolds, the old and familiar is usually traded in for a refurbished version. Or it can be tuned up to still be an old friend but with a new voice and an exciting agenda for what happens the next day, week, month, or year.
Interesting people weren’t born that way. Neither were they born with that valuable attribute called curiosity. The elements for both were there, but the person had to put them in proper position so the good in them could be revealed and put into play.
Over time, identifying a person who has chosen to have an interesting life is easy. They walk and move with more grace and assurance. They engage easily and with confidence. They are aware of what is going on around them. They tell stories and are always eager to hear new ones. They are real and so is their enthusiasm, sense of humor, and love of life.
So, here again is the quote: An interesting life is a choice. Post it where you will always be reminded of the choices you have and which of them you wish to make in your own pursuit of an interesting life.
