How's Your Table?
How do you see the table of your life?
Is it full of culinary delights - both delicious and awe-inspiring that you have yet dared to treat yourself? Or is it empty as you systematically checked off all of the to-do's on your list of things to do while you still get the privilege and gift of being 6 feet above your final place of rest?
As I grow older I often reflect on my bucket list or my "Murtaugh List" as it was referred to on "How I Met Your Mother" - a term I prefer to the former if only because of the "Lethal Weapon" reference. And as I reflect, I've always liked the adage about "...leaving nothing left on the table," when my time comes and I shuffle off this mortal coil.
However...
..lately this image hasn't given me peace; it hasn't excited me or made me want to jump out of bed each morning...and I couldn't quite figure out why. It was really bugging me - so much so that I kept pondering and dissecting it. I'd about given up until I realized what the problem was:
The fact that it was an empty table.
Think about your best nights - with family, friends and loved ones. Picture the evening - the laughter, the jokes, the love, and the shenanigans. Now, envision what the dinner table looks like (or the living room, or the deck).
Do you have that image firmly planted in your mind's eye? Good.
Now answer a question for me: Does that table have nothing left on it...
...or is it a mess - a complete, glorious tapestry of spills and stains, dishes and glasses (both half empty and half full), and leftover food?
Even if you have a bit of OCD in you, you and I both know that 2nd example is more accurate. It's a mess - and every single inch of that mess is a sumptuous smorgasbord of memories and smiles.
I don't know about you, but when I punch the time clock of life for my final time, that's the way I want my table to look.
How do we apply this to our everyday? Look at your job, look at your family, look at your love life - is it clean, proper, and antiseptic - a table with fresh linens, doilies, some fresh flowers? Or is it a bit messy (interesting) with mismatched china, sippy cups, some hard-earned stains, but some brilliant culinary concoctions? If you are feeling a bit bored, a bit tired, or just need a jump-start to the vehicle of life you've been driving - take a moment and do something new; inject some fun, adventure, and some shenanigans into your life.
Sure, a messy table means more dishes to do tomorrow morning. It's also means more fun, more adventure, and a memorable life that is worthy to both celebrate and live. Life's short and, unfortunately, we spend far too much time making the tables in our lives look perfect and not enough time risking adding a little color to them in the process.
How messy is your table?
