Smelling the roses

It has been awhile since I've left school, give or take 2 decades, that is...

And like almost everyone, there was for me, a teacher in class who made a world of difference, whose philosophy in life still influences up till today.

This was a teacher who at that time when she taught social science, was in her early or mid-fifties. She taught us to stop and "smell the roses", she taught us about the "ying and yang" of life and she taught us that it was okay to go against society's expectations.

I can still recall the time when she came to classes with a hangover after a good night's partying.

And today, as I sit here, I am truly thankful for someone like her who told us that she didn't have an ambition or a goal then... and that that was okay. It was okay not to have an Oxford or Harvard education and not to have a million-dollar-salary.

It was and still is, much more important that our lives be lived authentically... for so long as we have the ability to smell the roses, everything would be okay, too.

So, here's a toast to my teacher.

Today, I can proudly say that I don't have a goal yet... I've just been busy LIVING!