Oh, governor, I don’t matter. I am done for anyway. I was chosen to do a certain work, and I must do it, and then go. – Abraham Lincoln
Today’s Thought was actually taken from Gore Vidal’s historical novel Lincoln and is attributed to our 16th president, so maybe Abraham Lincoln actually said these words and maybe he didn’t. Vidal did his work well, always noting that characters in his novels generally did and said what he had them doing and saying, but who knows?
It doesn’t really matter. Even if History didn’t record Lincoln saying these specific words he may well have said them anyway. LIncoln, as even moderate reading into his life shows, was a man who possessed a complete and unshakable belief in himself and what he was meant to do with his time on this planet. He genuinely believed, probably from his earliest memories, that he was sent here to do certain things and if he showed for his life every day and brought along some patience, those things he was meant to do would present themselves.
I was chosen to do a certain work…
We were all chosen to do certain things. This is manifested in the talents in we were issued at birth and the goals and ambitions that came with them and the very best lives are passed by those get the most out of their talents, who make their time on this planet serve them, instead of merely serving time while here.
Now, those talents and ambitions may cause us to live down the ages like Lincoln does or they might offer us a life that is useful to ourselves and others. This is of no particular consequence. What is of consequence, significant consequence because it means the difference between a life well spent and a life squandered, is that each of us live the life we were meant to live.
To do that we must, like Lincoln did, show up for our lives every day, prepared to get the most out of our time and talents. We should bring some patience with us, too, because good things take time and nobody goes straight to the medal stand.
When we do these things we will do the work we were chosen to do. We will have a life well-spent, life’s great prize.
The Thought for the Day runs regularly. Quotes are from Gaylon’s private stock.
