Late to the party?

Nah
– just took a (long) (interesting) route (with detours) (wanna hear about them?) (they’re some of my best stories).

In the book Remains of the Day by Kazue Ishiguru, the protagonist realizes late in life that his loyalty and service have been misplaced. His somber devotion to a great man filled his life with meaning . . . until he awakens, late in the day so to speak, to the fact that this man he’d served was anything but great. The man the protagonist served tirelessly for decades was on the wrong side of history, grossly so.

This kind of realization can you knock you flat, the realization that in essence the great bulk of your life has been misspent. 

Today’s world is different (the novel takes place in pre-World War II England). Loyalty for a lifetime is not inherent in what we do.

What is more likely for you and I is to awaken to a higher notion for our lives. Maybe, possibly, it could be that we look back on our past, tinier self with frustration, wondering how we could be so late to the party. If only I’d awakened to the possibilities before!

The balm, the calming notion at the end of the novel is this: you have the remains of the day.

It’s never too late. You have now. And now. And now. (We could play this game a long time, so for your relief I’ll end it here . . . now!)