Get Busy Living, or Get Busy Dying

For the 25th year, I have the fortune to vacation on La Ropa Beach, in Zihuatanejo, in the state of Guerero, Mexico. When I tell folks I come here every year, I encounter one of two looks: complete confusion because they have never heard of ZIH (as we affectionally call it), or they say, “𝗔𝗵, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝘄𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝗥𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻!”

ZIH is the small Pacific coast Mexican beach town in which the two main characters in the movie, 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘩𝘢𝘸𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘙𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, Andy and Red, reunite after leaving prison back home, in the United States.  Shawshank Prison was filled with corruption and abuse.  It was a place where an inmate could easily give up on life.  Many did.

During my three-week stay here, I walk the beach every morning in silence, in the dark, at around 6:00 AM. It is just me, the moon, the sound of the waves, and the smell of bacon frying from a couple of nearby hotels.  This walk brings me peace, and 𝗺𝘆 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽𝘀 𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀, 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲, 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗳𝘂𝗹.  I still call my time here with my partner and dear friends a vacation, but it is so much more than that.

I often think about the line from the movie while on my walk; it reminds me that, in life, we have two options.  𝗪𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀, 𝗼𝗿 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘂𝗽 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗹𝗲𝘁 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝘂𝘀.

𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗶𝘀 𝗵𝗼𝗽𝗲-𝗳𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲.  𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘀 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘂𝗽, 𝗱𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗮 𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗱𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘀…

Sometimes, whether it be in the professional or the personal dimensions of our life, things can get crazy or tough.  We can feel that the odds and the world are stacked against us.

It would be so much easier at those times, to get busy dying—to just let the world happen to us and to not give a damn.

➡️ 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗼, 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵, 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝗽𝗲—𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝘆 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴.

As Red notes in the movie, having hope is a journey and can sometimes be a dangerous one.

𝗔𝘀 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀, 𝘄𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝗽𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗼𝗺 𝘄𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱.  It is our job to remind others that the easiest route is not always the best route.  It is our responsibility to inspire, to set vision, to demand change, to let others know that the journey itself is just as important as the destination.

To cultivate hope—even if it is a dangerous thing to do—we need time to think, to walk the beach, to listen to the Stillness that is around us.  It is not easy.

𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻, 𝗻𝗼 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗮𝗶𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘆.