Considerations (file under Life… A work in Progress)

I realize now that I have revealed very little of myself in a historical context. I have given little snippets here and there, but not much else. That is something I will remedy when I get a chance. Probably when I am doing my year in review around the end of January. But I bring this up because I beseech all of you, at the end of each post, asking, are you dreaming big and inspired. Look back and you will see that with the exception of three or four posts I absolutely beseech you to find you. Moreover I also say A la prochaine. This too is something that is indicative of who I am. I mention this because I wanted to share a poem with you that has been running through my mind a lot lately;

Dylan Thomas (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dylan_Thomas ) wrote “ Do not go Gentle into that Good Night” ;

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

I have hit numerous obstacles in my life. And since I was a boy I remember thinking to myself, even as young as thirteen or fourteen, that Thomas was absolutely right when he wrote this piece. I’m sure to each and every one of you reading this the meaning is personal and varied. For me it is a great jumping off point to look at my own personal life considerations, truly a work in progress, and what it is I want to achieve AND I assure you I HAVE NEVER GONE GENTLE INTO THAT GOOD NIGHT, NOR WILL I.

I am almost thirty four years old. I long for stability and work towards it every day. Mindful that life will almost always certainly throw a curve ball at you here and there. It is not the curve that is important but rather how you deal with it that defines who you are. But I digress.

Currently, I am looking at marriage (January 2010), a potential move to NYC to further my culinary career (and possibly be closer to the love of my life), how I want to get to where I want to go and the list goes on and on. I am considering, as an adult (loath though I may be to find myself becoming one at the tender age of 33) the things that adults consider. I am looking at the past, the opportunities that I have had, have made use of and have screwed up either through my own faults or none at all and what does it all mean. My culinary journey is the result of figuring out for myself that there is much more to life than the pursuit of money, comfort, status and the like. Things I have never been motivated by at all. Instead I find myself defining my meaning through a personal purpose, my own desire, to be honest, to work a hard day and come home fulfilled. I live each day as if I am raging against the dying of the light and to my good fortune the light always seems to return.

So where am I going with all this? What do I do? Do I screw off to Europe for six months next year while C is in NYC? Do I stay on the course that I am on? Continue working the line until I find the next place? How do I create meaningful relationships in a professional sense that are based on mutual respect and esteem (something which has always dogged me)? How do I fulfill my own timeline with respect to where I want to be? This is just a few of the life considerations that I am looking at right now. I guess a part of me is going through the exercise of putting this on paper so that you can ALL see that answers only come to those that ask the questions. Dreams are only realized by those that dare to dream them and have the audacity to work toward their fulfillment. It is not merely enough to state the dream. YOU MUST WORK AT IT!

Anyway, just wanted to get that off my chest for the moment. Back shortly with another post.

Charles F. Kettering once said; “Believe and act as if it were impossible to fail.”

Are you dreaming big and inspired?

A la prochaine

SDM