I have become an observer of life.
Moments that are meaningless to most have become ones that I cannot escape.
Simple moments like watching an elderly couple hold hands as they walk through the mall…straining to hear the silent whisper of the winged heron as she glides across the pond’s surface…hearing the laughter of two small children as they let their imaginations play…listening to a woman tell her story of struggle and heartbreak.
Many moments such as these have been etched in my memory and once there, they leave a permanent stain forever changing me.
Two weeks ago, I watched “Patch Adams” with Robin Williams and was once again a witness to a life we have all forgotten. In this movie, “Patch” has decided to go to medical school and the rules and regulations he (along with all of the other students) must follow seemed to be written in stone.
The Dean is more concerned about tradition than the wellbeing of the patients these same medical students are asked to help. With a few antics of what can only be described as a part written for Robin Williams and some helpful staff willing to bend the rules without the “boss man” finding out, Patch seems a new way of doing things. At times, he does go a bit overboard and yet this real-life story about a man whose sole mission is to help people, regardless of a guarantee of payment for services rendered, can make us all more aware of what we all want out of life.
People are afraid to tell each other what we really need, hoping no one sees us as vulnerable and weak. Instead, we come off as grouchy and self-righteous. Our anger towards the world is captured in the hateful words we use and the unwillingness to concede just a small fraction to make things better.
No doubt it is easy to get caught up in the latest trends. To be so intrigued by the lives of the famous that we forget that we have a life of our own to live. We would rather be entertained by whatever the Kardashians are doing instead of living from our own hearts and allowing our own souls to be seen.
Most of us allow the greed of money and the materialistic possessions to drive us, we still want more responsibility at work yet more time with the family at home. We have become creatures of habit, allowing convenience and repetitive tasks convince us of an existence. Not a life. Certainly not a life full of passion.
When did we forget what living a life really meant?
At times, I have found myself following the rational and logical mindset and have understood why those moments served me in the way they did. However, I have found greater fulfillment in the moments when I have no regard for reason.
No matter how many years we live, we waste an entire lifetime chasing something that never gives us joy…something that never uses our imagination…something that is left unsaid and undone.
Ask yourself why we are moved when a basketball coach breaks down when his team loses the National Championship…why are we drawn to videos and pictures of the human spirit in action…why are we forged in kindness, compassion, and love and seek those graceful enough to bestow them upon us when we need them most?
Our souls are not meant to be silent.
Our lives are not meant to be disconnected from one another.
Our lives are not meant to be without a purpose.
Finding our passion for life…even if it means we feel awkward doing it…is how we truly feel alive. In the chances life affords us, we discover our spiritual being. Observe life. See what’s missing in yours. Let the zeal of life embrace you as you inspire others to do the same. Remember what you have forgotten and start living your life full of passion today!
