The Rhythm of Life

From the book of Ecclesiastes, came a folk song written in 1959 that became popular in the mid-1960s. It referred to every thing having a season. A time to sow, a time to reap. A time to work, a time to play. A time to hate, a time to love. A time for war, a time for peace. A time to be born, a time to die.


(Found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4ga_M5Zdn4.)

These are the rhythms of life. The trick about these seasons is recognizing them and using each to your best benefit.

For many, the problem is actually seeing the rhythm. Many are unable to see patterns, to recognize flows, to see this thing we call the rhythm of life.

There is a time to be born, a time to be a child and enjoy child-like behavior. Other times require the seriousness of adulthood.

Each of us will enjoy a particular time in the sun and every one of us will also endure seemingly insurmountable sorrow and pain. We cannot avoid it; it is a part of the ebb and flow, the rhythm.

We will spend pleasurable days on the beach with those we love. We will come to admire and respect strangers with whom we are thrown into adversity.

Some of us are destined to go to war. Some of us will spend our time helping our loved ones get ready to go. Some of us will wait and worry for our loved ones to come home safely. And some of us are destined to protest war.

We each have our jobs. Our destinies. Our place in the tide. We will each journey from the youth of our lives, to middle, and then into old age.

Some of those whose paths we will cross will be kind, some not so kind. Some will help you, others will be bullies.

One of the great problems with life is recognizing the pattern, the rhythm. Is it a waltz? 4/4? 2/4 or 6/8?  Is the tempo quick? Or slow? Is it time to do the twist? Or slow dance?

There’s a time to keep your children close, a time to let them go. Each of us will fight for life and also let it go.

In this life, there is a time when you will be the baby, then the young person, the middle generation, then the old. You will be alone, you will be with many, and there will be only the two of you.

It seems as though the older among us see the rhythms, the tides, the tempos, the patterns much easier than the young. Sometimes, the young fail to see the patterns or recognize the ebb and flow at all.

The keys for the young among us are patience, an open mind, and wide open eyes.

-30-

© J. Clark

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2 Responses to The Rhythm of Life

  1. flyinggma says:

    Love this Joe, thanks for sharing! Jeanne

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