We spend our entire lives “Reaching,” for one thing or another.

We reach for the alarm clock to turn it off or maybe hit the snooze button for 9 more minutes of sleep. We reach for a jar on the top shelf, only to find it beyond our grasp. Standing on tiptoes, we stretch, desperately trying to nudge the jar just a bit closer. We’re constantly reaching just a little more.

We reach for that long sought-after goal. We reach the end of our rope. We even reach for the stars. Babies instinctively reach out for the warm touch of security. And finally, when all is said and done, we reach the end of this lifetime.

Our understanding is that success is in the “grasping.” Whatever we seek must be captured—safe and secure within our hands. But should we come up “empty-handed,” we imagine that something has tragically slipped away from us.

Yet we know that “grasping” and “holding” are only illusions. It’s not possible to “hold onto” anything. Instead, we see that life happens mainly through the act of Reaching. When we focus on the reaching, we begin to understand that the desire, the aspiration itself animates life.

This idea was expressed by great philosophers. Marcus Aurelius said: “It does not matter what you bear, but how you bear it.” This suggests attitude and intention is far more important than the results. Centuries later, Mahatma Gandhi echoed a similar thought: “Whatever you do in life will be insignificant , but it is important that you do it . . .”

Without regret, our intention is to energetically reach and reach and reach, until one day, we will finally grasp a humble truth—that a life well-lived exists only in each moment of striving, in “reaching,” and that in itself is the prize.

Music – Reach