Celebrating 22,222 Days of Life; Maybe Life is as Simple as Knowing & Counting 0,1,2,3!!!
That is a whole lot of days- 22,222!
We can’t remember them all but somehow do remember the milepost days and form a narrative around them that becomes our life story, at least to ourselves.
Maybe life is as simple as knowing and counting 0,1,2,3 you say?
Knowing what? Counting what?
For me, my way of life, which has emerged as “The Rest of My Life,” or the acronym T-R-O-M-L (pronounced “Tee-ROM-El”; sounds like ‘Tomorrow’) and being my ‘Splendid Spiritual Self’ all started with a knowing, contemplating, and living out a bible verse:
“So teach us to number our days, that we may gain wisdom of heart.” —Psalm 90:12
I knew I wanted wisdom. I knew I wanted to live a life with heart, all my heart.
So I started counting my days…
Yes, counting my days all the way back to Day 00000… when Mom & Dad somehow expressed their love for God, each other and family in mid-January 1959 in Binghamton, New York.
The high for the day was 46 degrees, the low only 39, no appreciable precipitation and no snow on the ground! Amazing what you can google these days!
Being the youngest of six we can assume my five older siblings, the oldest being nearly 10, were soundly asleep in our tiny house at 2 Florence Street. With maybe a touch of spring in the air, step, and heart rather then a primal need for warmth in the dead cold of winter. Two years earlier to the day the record low of minus-20 degrees was set in Binghamton. That would be my kid sister!
Either way we know, or should know, realize, and worship the day we came to life along with the day we entered the world all grown up and developed as a newborn baby! Day 00000 as I mentioned above.
Day 11111 or as I would say in TROML speak; a little bit past 11 ‘thou-days,’ 11 thousand-days is a little bit harder to know precisely what was going on in my life. Google: ‘What was Andy doing on June 17, 1989?’
Official Army Records, Annual Reports, and lots of Jimmy Fallon?
Add last name and get ‘Golf is Mystical in Myrtle Beach,’ my Facebook page, and my Twitter account!
Still not relevant… pre-September, 2nd, 2000… pre-TROML… will have to go to the calendar notes!
By the way, TROML is a dynamic self-realization process; a 17-day journal-based go-within ongoing exercise that leads to the discovery of one’s ‘Splendid Spiritual Self (SSS).’ My SSS is “GOD’s TROML Baby of Joy & Gratitude!” Not a bad assignment for the rest of my life, hopefully another 30 years or so, and then ‘Beyond What Seems to Be.” Bit that is another story, another article, maybe my first spiritual YouTube video under the ‘TROML2020” umbrella?
Back to June 17th, 1989 or thereabouts…
This was a time of great spiritual growth in my life. Suffice it to say I believe Roman Catholics are ‘born again’ in the normal process and application of our religion. I felt the stirrings of Christ within me at a young age and took actions on the belief that he was my personal Savior. Far beyond knowing right from wrong and accepting myself as being imperfect, religion was a big part of our family and a big part of me, the part I could go to within and find peace, comfort, and strength as a little boy, young man, and an adult male in this crazy secular world of ours.
But in the years surrounding 1989, it seemed as though my religious and spiritual worlds were exploding in a good way to places deep within me and places far beyond me into all of Eternity. These new beginnings would carry me through the world of being a man, a husband, and a father; through the deaths of my father and mother in 1993 and 2001 (the night before September 11th) respectedly, respectfully, and respectively; and be transformed into the writing of my first spiritual book “LOVE, TROML (The Rest of My Life), and The Pursuit of Eternity” in 2005.
The ‘Pursuit’ always being bold and in italicized print knowing it is elusive, never fully achieved or conquered in this life for we are not GOD, we are only human beings in pursuit of knowing, loving, and trying to be GOD’s instruments in what we call ‘life.’
“So teach us to number our days, that we may gain wisdom of heart.” —Psalm 90:12
Day 11111 in the narrative of my life symbolically occurred in September of 1989 in Rochester, New York.
Ironically the chair that the inward procession of Christians led me to was exactly on top of the pitcher’s mound in the now demolished Silver Baseball Stadium.
I found myself at a ‘Billy Graham Crusade’ and remember how vivid my relationship and conversations with GOD were at that time and for the most part in the days afterwards up until today.
While I did not respond through the staged altar call, I did respond with all my heart, emotion, intellect, and soul much like my father did through televised ‘Billy Graham Crusades.’ A lifetime spiritual journey is the path for all Christians, no matter their denomination or abomination. GOD has it and all of us in control.
So what does Day 22222 represent? Where is the wisdom? Where is Andy’s heart?
As best I can tell, as best as I know, ‘it’ being the third step in my simple life, the second that I had anything to do with, is all wrapped up in ‘TROML 2020.’ All wrapped up like the tenderloin in prosciutto and puffy pastry of the ultimate Beef Wellington I made for dinner last night.
TROML 2020 is a 10-point life objective centered around the 20th anniversary of TROML and SSS on September 2nd, 2020. Some points having been accomplished, some ongoing, and some yet to be started. In the big picture, TROML 2020 started with last winter’s ‘Spiritual Journey to Israel and Palestine,’ continues with more Bible and Life studies, and culminates in a third spiritual book with an associated YouTube Channel.
GOD willing, of course.
I can only hope to be here for Day 33333 in April 2050! Would that not be a beautiful Spring Day somewhere in the world?
Remember that we are in a digital world now and everything begins with nothing. Even counting now begins with a zero!
Even though our humanity and spirituality makes counting unlimited, life here on Earth is limited.
Keep it simple, especially in difficult times, take a breath and hopefully we can all count 0,1,2,3!
GOD Bless you!
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