In retirement, I truly believed that my days of sitting in meetings had come to an end. I’ve had meetings in all the projects that I’ve participated in for my entire work life.
In theatre (on a production team or as a performer) in education, in the church world or in social ministry work I’ve attended endless meetings with never-ending conversations that end up in very little getting done! Although I do have the gift of gab, I don’t enjoy talking about what needs to happen as much as I love doing what needs to get done!
I’m retired and weirdly enough, I find myself in a lot of meetings.
I find myself in a weird place at this time. If I resign myself to the fact that the meetings will keep happening, do I simply give in to it, sitting bored and quiet until it’s over, and then get on with my life?
I don’t think I can do that. For me, action has always meant more to me than simply talking.
I find inspiration in lyrics of songs that ring in my heart.
In “Tick Tick Boom!”, composer/lyricist Jonathan Larson wrote about the sound of the clock ticking as he approached his 30th birthday. Little did he know that he would pass away at the age of 35 from an aortic dissection, believed to be caused by undiagnosed Marfan syndrome.
In the song, “Louder Than Words”, he brilliantly considers, “Cages or Wings – which do you prefer? Ask the birds. Fear or love? Don’t SAY the answer. Actions speak louder than words!”
At this time of life, I hear the ticking of the life clock. How much time do I want to spend talking about things without doing something productive?
I truly believe that at the core of all decisions, it comes down to a choice between fear or love. Do I want to talk about it? Or do I want to act on it? “Cages or Wings – which do you prefer? Ask the birds. Fear or love: Don’t SAY the answer. Actions speak louder than words!”
