I often say to people that I am nomadic. I move around although it is generally pretty easy to get hold of me, just call 07770 738770. Wherever I find myself, I like to get out for a walk at lunchtime, generally for about 40 minutes. Today I was in Elgin, and I have a regular walk down to the Cathedral and then around Cooper Park. Today I did my long walk which took me along the back of the Elgin City Football Club’s ground and then around the back of Tesco. Well, I needed to do some shopping.

I like to walk because, in the middle of a hectic day, it gives me time to chill and to think. It’s surprising what a little bit of nature can do. Today I was walking in the sunshine looking at the many and varied mature trees and shrubs and listening to the birds. A thought occurred to me. Every tree, bush, flower and weed in that park, as well as every bird, had an ancestor that existed 5000 years ago. Don’t ask me why my brain came up with 5000 years, that’s beyond me. After that, I started to wonder where those ancestors actually existed 5000 years ago.

Of course, you then must consider that I had ancestors who existed 5000 years ago, probably somewhere in Europe. How many generations have passed? How many traumas and delights did each experience? You tend to see your ancestors through the fog of time. For the most recent, you may have photos. But those old people were 14 once and grew up in a very different world with similar and different life experiences. They are not just those wax-like images you now see in the old photos.

So, given that I must have had ancestors 5000 years ago, who must have had children, where were they and what sort of lives did they lead? I guess that they were in continental Europe or further east or south. What brought them here and how did they come? They would have spoken a different language to the native population. Did they cross the channel in small boats?

Foreign immigrants arriving in small boats from Europe. A population on the move, with minimal belongings and strange habits and traditions.

Sounds familiar! I wonder what reception they received. Not warm, I would guess.

So, at the end of the day, we are all just immigrants and I don’t suppose our ancestors needed passports to travel, just a boat. No passport, no visas, just weapons to displace whoever was here before them.

But I suppose at the end of the day, every human whoever they are, has some basic wants, such as a roof over their heads, food on the table and to feel safe.

Isn’t that why we do what we do? After the basics, you and I probably want more and that is what we work at achieving. We all want to own our own houses, have one or more cars and have nice food, holidays and occasional treats. That’s what I want anyway. You can tell me that you are different, but I probably will not believe you.

We give up our time and dedicate it to building the life we want. It’s a tradeoff. If you want the nice things, there is a price. Now, I happen to like the work I do, and that is a bonus, but would I do that if I already had everything I needed and was financially secure? Now, there’s a question I am not going to ask myself. I may not like the answer.

So, from the moment you wake in the morning, you have choices. You decide what you want from life and whether you are prepared to pay the price. That will determine your work-life balance. More free time means less effort devoted to building your business and material life. It’s your choice.

So, I am sitting on a ferry as I type this. I could watch the Olympics on the telly and have fish and chips or something else. I choose not to eat like that and I choose to write. My choices, no one else can decide for me unless I let them, and, unless your name is Helen, that is not going to happen.

I did choose to have an ice cream, but then you need an occasional treat. A little bit of badness.

Now, here’s a question for you. Would you rather be alive now, in the past, say 5000 years ago, or sometime in the future? I know it’s a bit academic, but I am very happy in my own time. Like my parents and their parents, I have seen technological developments. I would be interested to see what comes next, but that is going to be the same for every generation. I have enjoyed using the new technologies to date and I will continue to enjoy using new ones for a good few years to come. I am quite happy with that. I have no wish to exist at any other time. I am content.

If you are not happy in your time and in your life, what will you choose to do about it?

 

Alan E Long

The Long Partnership

07770 738770