“It’s so easy to think of the days gone by,
It’s a hard thing to think of the days to come,
But the grace to accept every moment as a gift
Is a gift that is given to some.
(Refrain) What can you do with your days, but work and hope
That your dreams bind your work to your play
What can you do
Every moment of your life, but
Love til you love it away.
There are sorrows enough for the whole world’s end,
And no guarantees but the grave
The life that we live and
The time that we spend
Is a treasure too precious to save.”
(Refrain)
Here is the song that has been on my mind as I have been standing on the shores of Lake Superior under a warm early summer sun considering who I am today. It has been a calm and happy day, continuous moments of wonder and recognition that life could be so sweet and last so long. My friend taught me this song, years ago in Northern Minnesota, and hearing it now again feels like a light house for the life that I am creating and is in turn creating me.
Standing on the banks of this amazing body of water and reflecting at the power and resources that it generates is inspiring. Here are a few facts about this place that has been revered by humans since recorded time: The great lakes provide 20% of all the fresh water in the world. One out of six Americans get their water from these lakes. It takes four hundred years for one drop of water from these lakes to make it to the Atlantic Ocean and they are the native home to prehistoric fish that live for hundreds of years (you guessed it Sturgeon).
Recreating on these banks again after so many years gives me a new understanding of what it means “to work and hope that your dreams bind your work to your play.” The positivity quest continues to teach me how precious the hours we have on this amazing planet are and that with the right attitude we can be a resource for the world like this majestic lake. We can fill up our lives and the lives of people we live with by loving all of it, no holds barred, til you love it away.
