Getting On With It!

Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, reminded us to “Get on with it.” Sometimes we pause too long while looking back at what was or what almost was. We become like Eudora Welty’s Petrified Man and turn into a pillar of salt like Lot’s wife in the Bible. She could not let go of the past and walk into the beckoning future. She could not get on with it.

When we find ourselves staring at the closed doors, we must wake ourselves and snap out of it. We must take note of our clocks, peer at our watches and look at our calendars and see how much time has actually slipped by us. We must remember the old adage, “Time waits for no man.”

Whether we are lost in grief, reliving precious memories or simply frozen in time, we must stop ourselves from trying to function in the former chapters of our lives. We are no longer living, but wallowing and procrastinating in the sand. Quite like the hypnotist, we must clap our hands together to come out of the deep sleep or trance-like state.

When we are fully awake, we should ask ourselves how many moons have we missed? How many sunsets? How many sunrises have gone by unnoticed while our dark curtains were drawn to hide the light as we drowned in our sorrows?

The sky is always a great determining factor which reminds us that the earth is still spinning on its axis. Nothing has stopped, but us. Once we become fully conscious and our eyes are again open, we absolutely must get up and get moving.  As Les Brown said, “If you can look up, you can get up!”

When we are up and back outside, we may take that early morning jog or walk while the sun peeks over the horizon. We just might be met by a fellow companion traveling alongside us who says, “I’ve been waiting for you. Are you ready to get on with it?”

Lynn M.
March 15, 2024