Welcome, Fellow Lounge Friends!
As I’ve gotten older, especially after turning 50, I’ve felt a sense of liberation I never imagined possible.
I no longer care about what people think of me or what they say about me. What you see is what you get – let’s call it authenticity. If you don’t like what you see, don’t look. If you don’t like what you hear, don’t listen. If you don’t like what you’re reading, close the book or scroll on by.
Your reaction is your problem, not mine – incredibly liberating, I might say!
For most of my life, I was an empath who cared far too much. I gave and gave until I burnt out completely. Over the last five years, I have noticed that I was slowly drifting away from the noise of society, which I lovingly call my “hermit mode.”
A bit of a side note (I promise I am getting to my point!) – I’ve never been motivated by money, and money has never impressed me. If you truly know me, you’ll know that I view money as a means to survive in this world, nothing more.
But never try to impress me with wealth or earthly belongings, because you can’t take it with you when you die anyway. You can be extremely wealthy and still be a terrible person. (And for the record, I know many wealthy people who are the kindest, most generous souls on the planet.)
That’s why I’ve always valued family and friends. Real connections. “Things” do not have souls or a spirit.
Many people like to say, “Time is money.” I have to disagree on this one. For me, Time = Life. It’s the most precious thing we have. So I always feel, please don’t waste mine, because it’s the one thing I can never get back.
Recently, I had a phone conversation with a friend that stuck with me. At one point, I casually ended a sentence with:
“Just putting it out there into the universe.”
Their response was immediate and somewhat irritable:
“I hate that saying. It’s nonsense. If you believe in that, it means you don’t believe in God.”
I tried to explain that it was just a phrase, but they weren’t having it. Finally, I said:
“Well, the universe does exist, right? That doesn’t mean I don’t believe in God, who, according to my personal belief, is the Creator of the universe.”
They doubled down, naming a few friends of theirs (people who don’t believe in God) and said:
“I still can’t handle it when they use that term.”
So, I gently asked:
“Proverbs 27:17 (NLT) says, ‘As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.” If this really bothers you so much, why surround yourself with “friends” whose beliefs clash so deeply with yours? Why spend your precious time with those who don’t align with your values?”
There was a short pause. Then my friend said in a reflective voice, “That’s a good question.”
So my thought for today:
Choose well.
We don’t know how much time we have left, so spend it wisely, with people who love you for exactly who you are, flaws and all. Align yourself with those whose values and beliefs reflect your own.
Tick tock. Tick tock.
My question for you:
Are the people closest to you lifting you up, or wearing you down?
The Lounge Philosopher 