The death of my colleague and friend had come as a surprise.
No one had expected this at all. Her spirits were high, even as she stayed in the hospital and had not seemed to be getting better.
She was only 56.
At 58, she was one of the longest serving persons at the organisation in which she worked. Started out as a technician, and until recently, promoted to a director.
It seemed like she worked hard to reach there. It was something she wanted to achieve in time.
I couldn’t help but think how it must be to work all that time, only to not live to enjoy retirement? It got me thinking about my own life. The way I work and want to work so that I could enjoy later. And that my family can be well taken care of.
I’ve been taking in the 4-Hour workweek and I’ve been questioning the wisdom of just that.
Why can’t I enjoy life now? Why must I sacrifice to enjoy life later on?
I’ve questioned it, and questioned it, but have not come to believe that it can be done.
There is a fear that if I do stop to enjoy life now, even for a bit, that things may fall down. That I would miss deadlines. That projects would fail. That my business would collapse.
Perhaps if I keep questioning it, I would come to believe that I can stop and smell the roses once in a while. Perhaps…
Or I could keep working and die an untimely death, losing all the time that I had “saved” for the future enjoyment.
Rest in peace Carol my friend. Rest in peace.