My Christmas Message
December 19. 2024 by DoctorVernon Coleman
Don't slump down in front of the television set just yet because I have a present for you. It's a present that will not wear out or go out of fashion. It doesn't need batteries and you don't have to queue up to exchange it. It is a present that may make you feel uncomfortable for a few minutes but will, if you accept it, last for ever and change your life.
All I ask from you, in return for the gift I want to give you, is a little indulgence and a few moments of your time.
Of course, there is a chance you may not need my present. So, before we go any further let me ask you whether you think you have done as much as you can with your life. If you knew that you had just five minutes to live would you be satisfied that you had done as much as you could with your allotted lifespan?
If you are satisfied then please accept my congratulations and feel free to slump down in front of the TV set.
If you aren't quite sure then read on.
Because I'm going to give you a philosophy for life. Most people are dead at twenty five: their ambitions, hopes and aspirations confined to acquiring a car with ‘genuine’ vinyl seats and a fully paid up pension plan. They won't be buried for another half a century but they are doing little more than killing time until life runs out. They watch life drift by; never grasping their destiny or taking control. Thoreau was right when he wrote that ‘the mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation’.
How many of your friends do jobs that they hate – and then excuse themselves by arguing that they need the money to pay for the stuff with which they have littered their lives. (And how much of that stuff – paid for with blood, sweat and tears – is worth the price that has been paid?)
How many people do you know who have sold their souls so that they can receive a pension in their old age? (And when you've suggested that they ought to have more fun, how many times have you heard them say: ‘I'll have plenty of time and money to enjoy myself when I retire.’)
Don't let yourself be trapped in the same way.
And if you ARE trapped, don't be afraid to break free.
You only get one chance at living. Don't sell your body, soul and mind so that you can buy an ice cream maker, a time share apartment in Marbella and a three piece suite in mushroom velour. Don't make the mistake of wasting your life on low expectations. Don't let your possessions own you and direct your life.
You may feel that you would like to do something with your life. But you may feel afraid. Dig down into your spirit and you will find dreams that just need dusting off.
Let your dreams out.
Why be afraid? What have you got to lose?
Take life by the scruff of the neck and shake it.
Whatever happens you will not regret the things which go wrong as much as you will regret the things you never do. Failing is no worse than not trying.
The saddest phrase in the English language is ‘might have been’. When the game is over your regrets will tell you more about yourself than your accomplishments. Don't make the mistake most people make – of worrying too much and thinking too little.
The secret of life is to be passionate.
If you do not dedicate your life to a cause about which you feel passionate you will eventually ask yourself whether life is worthwhile. And you will not know the answer.
Spend some time deciding what you want to DO with the rest of your life.
And remember that the greatest irony of all is that you need something you are prepared to die for before you can get the most out of life.
Note
The essay above is taken from `Vernon Coleman’s Commonplace Book’. To purchase a copy please go to the bookshop on www.vernoncoleman.com or CLICK HERE
Copyright Vernon Coleman December 2024
How I upset a man who runs a gas appliance showroom
Dr Vernon Coleman
The following is taken from `The Diary of a Disgruntled Man’ (the first of Vernon Coleman’s seven diaries):
How I upset a man who runs a gas appliance showroom
The Princess and I don't go to parties, dinners or social events of any type but today we went to a neighbours’ home for drinks. We got suckered into it in such a way that it was impossible to say `no' without being rude. While The Princess talked to an elderly lady, who is an expert on compost, I met a man who, when he had asked me what I did for a living, said that it is his intention to write books when he retires in three years time. He was well oiled but not quite at the falling over stage. He said he thought he might write novels and biographies and that it didn't matter whether he earned any money from it because he had a good pension to look forward to. I asked him what he did for a living. He said he ran a gas appliance showroom. I said wasn't it funny but it was my intention to run a gas appliance showroom in my spare time when I retire. He indignantly said it would not be possible because his job requires a good deal of knowledge and training and skill and other things he didn't go into but expressed with an airy wave of the hand. I said I felt sure I could do it and that I thought it would actually be very easy. I said I might manage several showrooms and would be happy to do it for very little money. He got very red faced, spluttered and said that if I did I would be putting trained men out of work. He then stalked off in a huff. A few moments later The Princess came over, told me I'd upset one of the other guests and said that she thought we should leave so we left.
Taken from `Diary of a Disgruntled Man’ by Vernon Coleman – for more information please go to the bookshop on www.vernoncoleman.com or CLICK HERE
Copyright Vernon Coleman December 2024
friendship, love and laughter they can't take away from us; nature and the universe they can't regulate: let's enjoy the world as much as we can and find the blessings of a happy soul.