Eureka Moments

Now that Christmas and the holiday celebrations are almost over for 2012, I must admit that I still find it a period of anticipation and excitement. That was how I felt as a young boy and I am happy to say those wonderful feelings still tend to transport me back to my youth. No doubt our many electronic devices keep the feelings alive! I am not sure when I lost my faith in Santa Claus, but I do not recall any major catharsis at the time. Perhaps it was just one of those experiences in life that come along and we drift through a transition without realizing things have actually changed. As you grow older you realize there are many such sign-posts as we travel the road: poking around in the basement you discover the skates you have not used for twenty years or suddenly wonder why you stopped meeting the boys for coffee?

In retrospect there were many little events that lifted me above school, homework and family chores and made life exciting and joyful. In the winter it was coming home from school, picking up my skates and hockey stick and heading to the lake for a game of shinny. It was anticipating the summer holidays and looking forward to sailing and swimming in the summer. It was cuddling up with a good book on a cold winter night by the fireplace. There were always birthdays, team sports or having the friends over to the house for a party. I call these events "peak experiences" as suggested by the famous American psychologist Abraham Maslow. I do believe, however, that he was writing more about religious ecstasy, transcendental experiences or grandiose flights of insights experienced by some. Remember  Archimedes' "eureka" when he discovered suddenly, while sitting in a bathtub, a law of physics. Of course most of us also have our eureka moments when we fall in love, are moved by a beautiful sunset, or elevated by a magnificent piece of music. 

What I am slowly discovering as an octogenarian is that many of these events, especially the ones that demand a lot of physical participation, are no longer available to me. I would love to lace up my cold skates on the shore of the frozen lake and throw myself into a wild game of shinny, or feel the cold morning air on my face as I head down the slopes of a high mountain. But those 'peaks' are no longer possible and accepting my limitations can be difficult.

Some, perhaps unconsciously, seek these highs by artificial means. But there are better ways, more fulfilling ways, as we all have the power to lift ourselves up from the mundane realities of existence by doing something we love to do, something we anticipate each day that makes us feel alive and happy.

Of course being truly in love is a never ending experience of discovery and happiness. But there are little things, or so they may seem to others, that make my day a little more 'peak full'. One I am willing to share with you: Every day at 4 o'clock I make myself a cappachino and settle into a cozy chair to read a good author and listen to soft music for one hour. Anticipating this humble event lifts me above the dome of everyday living and makes me feel excited, alive and well. I usually don't feel any ecstasy or float through any out of the body experience in so doing, but I love the anticipation and bask in the tranquility of the moment.

And that's Dick's View of the World this Week