What is it Worth?

Sometimes it runs through my mind all the things that I have done over the last 25 years and I am not entirely sure any of it matters.  There is a value placed on your time by society.  A worth of your accomplishments.  "Were you successful in your life?" & "What have you accomplished through the ages?" I really have to run all of the things through my memory banks to determine what exactly I have done and more importantly was any of it worth it.

Yes, I know, society isn't necessarily the best judgement of character but often it presents a clear picture. More like a mirror.  What is the man in the mirror that is looking back at you? What has that man become? It is something that society puts a value on whether you want it or not.  Your friends from high school, college even your business associates place barometric scale next to you to give, more than likely, a value to you so they can compare themselves to you. The scale is always one that is tainted by the viewers eyesight, regardless of their success or failures.  Our old friends often find themselves judging you more harshly if they have had less of the "prosperous life". Those that have more.....they are compassionate.

Now tell me, what is the true value of your success.  I have one son that has been somewhat slow in school, slow in learning.  He isn't unintelligent by any means.  He is very passionate by nature.  Doesn't mean that he is any less than those around him.  He has chosen to give up all so that he can give to others.  By some peoples standards that might indicate that he has nothing. I beg to differ.  I say that the man who is willing to give up all, more than likely has so much more than us who cling to our pile of stuff. The stuff that withers away and fades into nothing.

The real value of ones life cannot be given a worth by anyone else but the beholder of that life. So that tells us that we are to place a value to ourselves.  We are to judge for ourselves if our life has been worth it or not.  Have we spent time wasting away at some job that is mundane and boring....or have we enjoyed everything around us regardless of the job that employs us? Are we to put more value on our job, family, health, hobbies....where? It is often said that the career makes the man.  Is that true or does the man make for himself a career? Do we form for ourselves a life that is tailored to suit us? A life that fits comfortably....or is it too tight....too loose?

So back to the question.....has my life been worth it? I am not sure I can answer that yet.  I have often tried to put myself in the shoes of "It's a Wonderful Life", George Bailey.  Have I made a difference? What would the world be like without me? I cannot really tell what the story would be like.  Probably not as dramatic as that story. And then there are times when I feel like I have accomplished so much.  A time when I am proud of all the things that are around me.  It is a cycle. A vicious cycle but a cycle none the less. The feeling of worth goes up and down with the mood of encouragement or despair.  In the beginning of a young career, nothing is detrimental...all is prosperous no matter what you have or what you don't have. Nobody can keep a strong ambitious mind down.  It will happen....just wait and see is the demeanor.  Life is roses. Once you have gone through life for a few dozen years the glow of adventure and intrigue is a bit lackluster.  No longer does ambition flow in your veins but rather the world has beat you down to accept the "norm" of life.  These times are more like the thorns in the roses. These are the cycles.  The question remains the same....What is your's worth?

I have collected baseball cards for over 40 years.....okay....I have sit on them for the last 25 years....collected for the first 15 years.  There were cards that I collected that I enjoyed because of the players or the teams that they played for.  There were cards that were in mint condition.....cards that were a little worn around the edges.  Cards that I got straight out of the bubble gum wrapper, while others I paid my hard earned cash for.  Some I traded friends for, while a few I found. Over the years I have had some cards that were worth an enormous amount of money....for a picture on a piece of cardboard. As time went long, the value has dropped.  It could have been the economy, it could have been the player, it could have been the general interest in cards. Regardless, the world's value had changed regarding the worth of that particular card.  Many times, when things got financially tight, I thought of selling the lot of them.  I open up the book of my favorites (and those consider of higher value) and look through my past.  I can remember how I came along each one, where I got them and why I treasured them so much.  There is a card with Roberto Clemente in my folder.  Not a particularly mint condition card, not especially expensive in value, not necessarily my favorite team or player for that matter.  The picture shows the player tossing up a ball a few inches in front and catching it in his hand.  It isn't even an awesome action shot, probably a pre-game snap shot by some bubble gum photographer.  However, that card, with it's worn edges and all, is by far my favorite. I have been asked to sell it, trade or even give it away.  Never could.  It epitomized the essence of what my baseball collecting was all those years ago.  It transports me back to a time when life was simple and choices were easy to make.  The card is me, and to me it is priceless.....to world maybe $20 bucks.

So what is the value of your life......make it priceless....remember the surroundings of each moment in time. That will make it's worth more than any other can possibly place a value on it. No price can compare.  Enjoy my friends.