Things taken away

We get frustrated when we are told that we can’t do this or that anymore due to age or health. Not that we wanted to. But it was nice that we could, that it was an option, should we ever want to. But when it is gone, removed, no longer an option, we become sad, annoyed, with a sense of loss, for something we never had, or wanted.

We only get one life and not enough time to experience everything that we could possibly experience. So for example being told that you can’t go deep-sea diving, or lift really heavy weights, or run a marathon, ever, triggers a sense of FOMO. A fear of missing out. Of never being able to experience those actions or activities. I mean, there are plenty of other things you can engage in and experience, if you wanted. But being told that something has been taken off your table of life, that it is no longer an option for you, can feel depressing.

I like to think about it another way. That you have reached the point where you are at today through a series of decisions and actions. Every possible action or activity in front of you is not guaranteed to be there forever. You make choices every moment of your life, and some of those choices will remove options from the table. True, you may feel a sense of loss when some things are no longer an option, but take pleasure in the fact that there is still a table in front of you full of options. Every day that you wake to that table is a good day.

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