The Breath of Life

When the rhyme and the reason of life alludes us, we project our troubles on demons and grant our successes as the products of a righteous God. But the rain falls on every man.

Every breath brings us closer to the reality of our finite existence, but we savor each heartbeat and move forward, clinging to the hopes and dreams that pass our way—short triumphs and accolades, love and happiness when it comes around.  This love that carries us forward is what we cling to; love holds us to the earth, but also sets our feet on flights of fancy--love is infinitely more than a romantic notion—it breaks the chains of loneliness around our hearts.

What separates us from the beasts? This soul we possess is more than ghost and spirit; it is the power that gives us feet to run from a troubling past into the arms of a promising future.  It is the power that makes us cry at a soft melody and reminisce at times of past triumphs never to be revisited.  This soul gives us pause at a painted landscape and helps us contemplate each new sunrise.

 

I was there when my grandfather passed. I saw his spirit leave with his breath.  The energy and warmth of life left with him as well.  To where it passed is the mystery that we seek to understand.  But that spirit lives on in the living.  It lives on while we breathe and contemplate our existence.  It lives on in the soft embrace of the ones we love.  It lives on in the school children that laugh on playgrounds and in the smiles of proud parents as they rock their babies to sleep. 

This mystery of life and spirit is a gift to mankind by a graceful God, who knows the value of life and grants it to us daily in small measures that hide in plain sight. This is the life we have been given; all it’s good and bad and pain and promises are a part of the hand we are dealt. May we play it with all sincerity and carry the torch of life and love till our spirit escapes us, bound for destinations unknown.  

Go With The Flow

“Contrary to what we usually believe, moments like these, the best moments in our lives, are not the passive, receptive, relaxing times—although such experiences can also be enjoyable, if we have worked hard to attain them. The best moments usually occur when a person’s body or mind is stretched to its limits in a voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult and worthwhile. Optimal experience is thus something that we make happen.” Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

I never cease to be amazed at the human spirit.  The ability to thrive in the face of adversity.  The ability to move on after tragedy.  What propels us on? What makes us move forward when all the signs of the times tell us that we need to stay in one place?  The world says find an area of comfort and stay there. Hunker down.  Enjoy your time.  Don’t make waves and don’t rock the boat.  If only it were that easy.

What gives you flow?  Is it finding an activity that stimulates your mind and beckons you to master it?  Is it creating a work of art, knowing no one else has ever seen it the same way?  Is it spending time with a loved one, feeling the sense that time stands still and savoring every moment with them?  Flow is an amazing thing.  It even appears at times when you have no energy or you “don’t feel like it.”  I remember times that I have not wanted to go the gym or work out and I told myself to “move it!”, only to discover it was exactly what my body needed. 

An abundant life is a series or ups and downs, of joys and sorrows. But every moment is to be experienced, both good and bad.  How can you take out the bad experiences and say you have lived a complete life? Without the bad, life would be a fairy tale and we all know those don’t exist. Life is a series of choices.  Those choices lead to situations that test us, try our patience, and show what we are made of to the world.  How we accept the challenges that come our way tells a lot about our character. 

I am in the midst of a job that I love.  Every day is a new challenge; a bridge I have never crossed. But the assurance that I am experiencing the life I was meant to live keeps me going.  Although there are many people smarter than me and more talented with much more experience, I relish the thought of being the underdog.  I get excited at the future and possibilities that lie ahead.  Sometimes I wonder if someone who is 46 years old should start a second career.  I was 10 years away from retirement as a public school teacher.  Wouldn’t it have been so much easier to coast through those years, retire at 55 and sit in my rocking chair awaiting death?  Possibly.  But that has never been the way I operated.

I relish each new challenge.  I get excited at facing things I have never experienced .  I love meeting new people, especially those who share an excitement for learning, for expanding diversity in STEM, and those who also cheer for the underdog.  As far as work goes, I have found the flow that I always desired.  I have found the career that gets me out of the bed every morning and helps me face the day, knowing I am making a difference.  I have many goals, and some days I am not sure I will reach them all. But my enthusiasm, my trust in God’s higher purpose, and my belief in the power of education to transform the world compels me to keep going.

Every day is a new day, a new challenge, and a new vision.  Every day is a chance to fulfill that journey I started over 20 years ago, when the first inclination to be a college professor entered my mind. I am at peace knowing I have reached the “beginning” of my journey. I am at the trailhead looking over the mountains to come.

I take a deep breath and move ahead, knowing each step moves me forward through this new life.  May I never lose this hunger for knowledge or this thirst for fulfillment.  May I never settle for coasting through life, always striving to meet every challenge that comes my way with perseverance and resolve.