How the End Begins

Two years ago tomorrow, in the middle of the day, Mamimami breathed her last.

When she first woke up that Tuesday morning, made the day's plans and proceeded to go about her work, she had no idea she wouldn't see the end of that day.

Tuesday, March 24, 2020 was her last.

***

When I woke up at 04:40 today morning, I listened to 'If Today was Your Last Day' by Nickelback and 'Running Out of Days' by 3 Doors Down.

This song by Nickelback has some pretty deep lyrics. Here's the first few lines:

 

My best friend gave me the best advice
He said each day's a gift and not a given right
Leave no stone unturned, leave your fears behind
And try to take the path less traveled by
That first step you take is the longest stride

If today was your last day
And tomorrow was too late
Could you say goodbye to yesterday?
Would you live each moment like your last? 

 

As for 'Running Out of Days,' consider the following:

 

There's too much work and I'm spent
There's too much pressure and I admit
I got no time to move ahead
Have you heard one thing that I've said
And all these little things in life they all create this haze
There's too many things to get done, and I'm running out of days
And I can't last here for so long
I feel this current it's so strong
It gets me further down the line
It gets me closer to the line 

We are all running out of days and one day will turn out to be the last for each one of us. 

But how does the end begin?

* * *

 

'The Tail End' is an interesting post on 'Wait But Why.' Tim Urban breaks down a person's lifetime into weeks and then days and it becomes increasingly clear that as far as death is concerned, each new day lived  brings a person closer to the end of life at the rate of 86400 seconds every 24 hours.

Towards the end of the post is an interesting insight: 

despite not being at the end of your life, you may very well be nearing the end of your time with some of the most important people in your life.

This sheds light on how we never really know when we do something or see someone for the very last time. An end is always beginning...

 

But this also applies to change. For something new to start, something old must come to an end. A change of habits involves dropping old ones and adopting new ones. One has to be bold and determined to break away from the allure of comfort zones.

On a personal level, I have been procrastinating writing certain books but it has got to a point where I elected to drop whatever distractions and excuses I have been using to not commit to my stated objectives.

Today marks the beginning of the end for interactions that are not worthwhile or don't add value, the beginning of the end for things I have needlessly held on to. It is when laziness, doubt, procrastination and negligence starts to end.

And for starters, you can see all this in action for yourself at 'Complit Weekly Tales.' where each week, I am posting exciting new stories from books I'm writing, including my High School and University memoirs.

 

* * *

We all know that when it is closing time, every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end. So starting today, are you gonna walk a different road?

Understanding Our Choices and Decisions

 Well, this will be a quick one. 

Back in June 2016, we published a post about understanding our choices. It prominently features content from The Matrix Reloaded movie, plus some highlights from BBC Radio's 'In Our Time' and a TED Talk by Barry Schwartz.

We live in a world where we are actively encouraged to make decisions. In fact, there is a psychology of choice, whose focus is making easier decisions.

* * *

We have revisited that post in view of the new 'Walkabout Weekly Digest' podcast from Complit Communications.

In the second episode of the podcast, we shall explore a better understanding of our choices and decisions. S01E02: Understanding Our Choices and Decisions will be available on Sunday, March 13.

* * * 

Every once in a while, we get a chance to walk a different road, or to sing our own song. No matter how difficult or easy it is to make such decisions, it all starts with making that initial move...

The Thing About Expectations

There is a lot to say about expectations. Everyone seems to have an opinion. I'm about to tell you mine.

 

 

But first...

Did you know that starting this month, The Walkabout Weekly Digest podcast will be available on your favorite podcast app? Catch new episodes every Sunday starting March 06, 2022. For now, listen on Spotify to the Walkabout Weekly Digest trailer:

 

* * * 

Lao Tzu will tell you to act without expectation. According to William Shakespeare, expectation is the root of all heartache. On the other hand, Sylvia Plath writes that if you expect nothing from somebody, you are never disappointed. But according to Sam Walton, high expectations are the key to everything. Eli Khamarov's take is that the best things in life are unexpected - because they were no expectations.

All this is very likely to get one quite confused!

 

* * *

So what is writer Mandy Hale's take?

When you release expectations, you are free to enjoy things for what they are instead of what you think they should be.

If you think the above is interesting, this is what American author Louise Hay does:

I let go of all expectations. People, places and things are free to be themselves, and I am free to be me.

I find this fascinating. 

 

* * *

 

On my birthday in July 2009, I wrote this post about expectations. The thing about life is that we cannot go about with zero expectations about anything. It is a human and natural thing to do. And whereas the expectation is just the beginning, it is the unexpected that changes our lives.

Earlier in oday's post, I indicated I'll share my opinion about expectations. Well, that is something I've elected to do in the first episode of the Walkabout Weekly Digest on Sunday, March 06. Not here, not now.

Meanwhile, listen to the podcast intro and let us know what you think.

* * *

The only constant in life is change. You'll often find yourself going backwards and then forwards in this life. And that is no twisted logic. So much as things change, we all change as well...

Introducing The Walkabout Weekly Digest podcast

Hello and happy new month... Yay! We're now onto the third month of March. 2021 was quite a year, inundated with challenges and a whole lot of things going on. But that we are now here means that we gainfully appropriated the opportunities the past 365 days presented.

2021 may be gone, but it is a year that we can look back at and build on as we aspire to even greater achievement.

* * * 

The Walkabout started way back in March 2009 with this very first post. Inspired by this scene in the S04E11 episode of LOST titled 'Cabin Fever', it was and continues to be a journey of Insight, Inspiration and Self Discovery. That was more than a decade ago.

 

 

 

 

12 years later, we have elected to take a truly exciting, refreshing approach to this enduring journey. In addition to the delightful reads you've come to love on the blog, you'll now listen to a podcast from  The Walkabout.

Welcome to Walkabout Weekly Digest

Yes. Beginning this month, we shall now present for your listening pleasure, a podcast that will in just a few minutes, distill much of what we usually post on The Walkabout.

In addition, the Walkabout Weekly Digest will feature additional content than would normally be included in a blog post. The first episode comes your way on Sunday, March 06 and we plan on releasing an episode every week thereafter. 

Listen to the Walkabout Weekly Digest podcast intro on Spotify or click below to listen directly on this page:

 

 

 

* * *

Admittedly, there is a bit of a learning curve as we delve into this new multimedia world of podcasting, but we do have the courage to change. It makes no sense to keep on waiting on the word to change when we can learn on the job and still have an impact. We shall get better at it as we get along. In under a week from now, we hit the ground running and we won't stop believin'...