Blog | Author Doug Cooper Literary Thrillers

Appreciate The Obstacles

We view the things that stand between us and our goals as opponents. Fighting against them, we believe if only they weren’t there or if we can just find a way past them, an unencumbered path to our dreams awaits. But the challenges that arise along the way are as connected to our aspiration as we are. Hurdle or hindrance, each impediment offers an opportunity to slow down and take inventory of ourselves and the world we live in. We just have to resist our competitive instinct to speed through obstacles and vanquish our enemies and appreciate what they are teaching us about our individual and collective journeys and the truth and beauty they open up to us.

Age Versus Wisdom

How old are you? It’s one of the first questions we’re all asked and learn to answer. First with our fingers then with our adorable, sputtering speech. But as the days and years mount, it’s also one we avoid — both asking and answering. It’s a reminder of our inevitable mortality — that we are blessed with only so much time. But maybe our waning focus on age is more because we realize it really doesn’t matter. The number of years we amass is merely a counting exercise. Wisdom is the ultimate goal. That comes from living our lives to the fullest.