Out, Out Brief Candle..

Is it sad that I'm wondering how many people will get the Shakespeare reference in the title? Probably more now that I've mentioned it. Regardless, I've always found myself partial to a good Shakespearean soliloquy. Look at me sounding all public school educated. Innit.

Enough tom-foolery, today could've been better: I still have my man flu/cold so I've felt like death warmed-up for the majority of the day, when painkillers haven't kept me walking among the living. This probably all seems very dramatic but when you begin a blog post by mentioning Shakespeare you've got to have some kind of drama in it.

Strangely enough the soliloquy I referenced mirrors my life quite aptly. For those who haven't read Macbeth, I'll paste the soliloquy here (cue half the people reading this dying of boredom):

To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,
To the last syllable of recorded time;
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player,
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage,
And then is heard no more. It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.

(An entertaining version from the Simpsons can be found here: Homer does Macbeth)

The speech is made by Hamlet, showing his indifference towards his wife's death. I have mixed feelings now about claiming it's relevance to my life of late. I don't think I've murdered anyone, but it does have some similarities.

I keep wondering to myself why I've taken the hard road in this scenario, surely, the easier road would be the wisest; but society has always taught us the easy way is not the best. So I'm at a loss as to how I should be feeling. Should I be proud of myself for not taking the easy way out? Or should I be remorseful that I'm giving up something that could better myself, while at the same time being less troublesome than the path I've set for myself in shunning it?

Maybe I just crave a challenge.