When Winter Comes

Rabindranath Tagore – the Bengali “Renaissance Man” of sorts, being a poet, musician and artist – once wrote, “Spring has passed. Summer has gone. Winter is here….

…and the song I meant to sing remains unsung. For I have spent my days stringing and unstringing my instrument.”

These powerful words caution us against living a life only half lived, the remainder being filled with regret for the dreams ignored – songs unsung, risks not taken, and art not created. There is great danger in always preparing but never doing. Constantly planning but never executing.

Too many of us are caught in this cycle, waiting for the right “season” to begin playing our song. After this coming weekend, my family will have been to the memorial services of five individuals over the last five weeks. This has been a poignant reminder that none of us know how long our spring and summer will last. The only guarantee is that winter comes for each one of us. When your winter arrives, I hope you are caught playing your song and not merely stringing your instrument.

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