Not a Brick in the Wall!

Obligation.


“The only obligation we have in any lifetime is to be true to ourselves."     Richard
Bach, Illusions.

I'd like to say my lengthy sabbatical has been because I was having the time of my life, and was so busy I hadn't the chance to blog. But that'd be bullshit. I thought it was because I was being lazy because I thought I was out of things to say, feeling like I was repeating myself. That's be bullshit as well. Truth is, I don't really have an answer, or even an excuse. I just.... stopped. Not sure why, I just... stopped.

Why am I starting again? Not sure about that either. Maybe to get my cousin Cindyloo and friend April to quit bugging me, but they aren't THAT aggravating. Mostly, I think, is I get a thought in my head, turn it  over and over a few times, and something pops out. And I reckon this one took a while. A really long while. But, here we go....

Obligation. The weight of the world, placed upon our shoulders, by..... ourselves. Nobody makes you do things.

You are free to say "no" when you really don't want to do something. There will be consequences, but you can.

You'll get fired for saying "no" too often at work. You'll be sleeping in the garage by saying "no" to the spouse enough times. You'll be walking if you don't agree with that bell telling you the car is almost out of gas.

You're not required to change your plans when a friend asks you to help them move: but if you miss the chance to rescue her from a bad situation, you'll feel responsible when you see the bruises . You don't have to take care of that sick relative: but you'll wish you'd done more when you stand at their graveside. You are free to turn down that date with someone you barely know: but you might wonder "what if" when you see their wedding announcement next year. You don't need to make time for lunch with an old friend far away, but you'll regret it forever when you're reading their obituary.

But oh, what  if you did....

For one thing, you wouldn't feel so shitty about all that stuff today. The line between obligation and regret is thin.

Welcome back inside my head, friends. It's dark and kinda scary sometimes, but everything good begins with that next step.