Nothing Lasts Forever (II)

Nothing Lasts Forever (II) - "Once upon a time, there was a king and his queen. [...] They lived happily ever after." These lines could have been borrowed for just another fairy tale. Hm, let me tell you, when I was little, I could never quite wait to get to the end of those typically overly conflicting stories, when - once every single obstacle had finally been removed or overcome - everlasting happiness and eternal love was finally theirs, the good guys' that is. Well, not for nothing are such tales called fairy tales, because let's face it, children are basically told nothing but lies. Of course, those long- standing couples do in fact exist, although scarcely, at best, but even the apparently most compatible pairs will admit struggling at some point just to keep their happiness going. Sunday a week ago, I was lucky enough to come across a documentary on married life in the process of searching through the Austrian broadcasting archives. Five couples of most diverse walks of life had sat down for lengthy interviews, offering candid insight into their matrimonies having lasted on for decades and sharing many a personal issue and misunderstanding as well as several joyful and blissful episodes in their lives. While it is true that nothing lasts forever, those ten people are proof enough as far as making living together last due to both various adjustments and attunements in sync with the ravages of time. The key to making life together work successfully, though will always remain constant effort being applied on a daily base plus mutual respect at all times. By no means, is this an easy task to be taken lightly, much less for granted. Nonetheless, are we not supposed to abide to our marriage promise of pulling together in good and in bad times alike? Just think for a second, how boring life would be(come) if we experienced perfect harmony and happiness to the same degree day in day out? As much as we may despise it, we simply need change. As souls, we actually yearn for transformation, transitioning, alteration, the new, and last but not least, growth. Without all those tribulations, modifications and yes, sparks and streaks of enlightenment, we would definitely not advance sufficiently enough at soul level. Nothing ever stays the way we all get used to, sometimes right from birth on and throughout most of our lives even, no matter how fiercely or desperately we are trying to hold on to all those embosomed routines. Perhaps the lesson behind such is to simply teach us to become aware and appreciative of what is at the moment being or rather for as long as it lasts. Regarding the latter, the irony of virtually not being able to foretell any moment's duration, ultimately suggests to reduce and condense it all back to the particular instant rather than anything beyond that. Just as much as love does not automatically continue on in its original intensity and naivety, health may also suddenly start deteriorating or be found to be failing at a certain point. Similarly, wealth may be lost, wasted or even taken without any foreboding signs of warnings. Now more than ever, our cozy homes may be badly impacted, ravaged and, in the worst of cases, even completely obliterated by devastating weather caprices capable of rearing their ugly and moody heads at us at more or less any given time. Literally anything may be disrupted or consumed by radical and prompt interferences for no other apparent reason really than the mere need for change. Bear in mind, stagnation may potentially prove to be a potent trigger and consequently also a keeper of depression. Should this conclusion hit the nail on the head, we are indeed left with nothing more precious than honoring and making the best of the Here and Now, wherever this may be and whatever situation we are temporarily thrown into. Once we are willing and ready to cherish the moment being the way it presents itself to us in its custom- built shape, way and form for the sake of our personal good in the wake of our unique paths to spiritual growth, I feel we are on the right track, at last.