The summertime. A hot
muggy season that seems to entice so many of us with offerings that only this
time of the year can afford.
A movement from indoors to the outdoors.
We do know that It is just a season right?
We will not have any control over this movement of time but
we do have control over how we spend it.
I have a few friends that love the summer season. They love
sitting out at the beach or at the park or on their patios soaking in all the
vitamin D that their body eagerly consumes.
Others can found at the local park playing volleyball or taking their children
to the playground. During this season,
there will be swimsuit clad males and females at the waterpark or at the pools
splashing around while swimming or simply having a great time. There will also
be some that will spend the day in front of an air conditioner trying to keep
cool and avoiding the heat all together.
We all make choices and have preferences. We all make
decisions on what will make our present day the best that it can be… or maybe
we won’t.
For me one of the best parts of the summer is seeing the
dark clouds rolling in over the Rocky Mountains.
Today, while driving over the crest of a hill looking down
into the Boulder Valley, I saw the Flatirons being engulfed with clouds and to
me that is one of the most awe inspiring views that I can imagine.
What inspires our imagination or willingness to act is many
times forgotten until… well, until we encounter it again. It seems that we move
through life so focused on the event right in front of us that we miss a small
whisper of a notion that resides within almost every encounter. The simple fact
that we have the ability to take another breath should be a moment of
inspiration. Many times we look for a grand event, sign, or thought to light an
emotional kindling that will launch us into an act that will give us an
internal fire that generates enough energy to move us beyond our imaginations. However, it is not always the grandiose signs
but often times it is the simplest and the most silent of all that moves us to
travel on a path that we would have never gone down before. It could be…
the laughter of a child…
the sound of silence moving through the aspen leaves…
a photo or a painting…
a word spoken in a conversation…
If we are open to the possibilities and recognize our own
capabilities, we can be inspired by almost anything.
Can I share a secret with you? I am blended introvert. Some of you who know
me well are just smiling at something that you already have known for quite
awhile.
Rarely, will I ever get inspired by some huge rally where
some dynamic speaker will get up before thousands of people to espouse their
insight in how to live… to sell… to promote yourself better than anyone
else. In fact, I will definitely react
the opposite way that they will want me to act. My sense of identity is totally contrary to
the bombastic experience that this type of episode offers to me.
In other words, I find my inspiration in the smallest of
things… a line in a book… a drop of a beat in a song… a quiet walk at Chataugua…
or perhaps that presence of another person who seeks to do more than just live.
They really don’t have to say anything.
No, it is something about their presence that tells me to act on all the
gifts that I have been given.
Jung once used the phrase “the birthing of death”. He was referring to his perception that we
will hit an apex of life when we will be birthing on how we will be known after
we die. Simply stated, we begin creating
our own legacy. I agree with him to a point but I disagree with his conclusion
that all people will die. Oh, I know
that none of will escape the inevitable but yet how we interact with others
will determine how will be remembered.
Yes, we will all eventually leave this earthly vessel called our body
but we will never leave the memory of another person. It is our life
reconstituted in the spiritual. It is a
non-physical yet always constant presence of how we are remembered. So, how we
choose to live this life… to inspire others… to interact and act upon the
behalf of others are decisions that we encounter with each breath of physical
life.
We know our weaknesses all too well. We live in the winter of our souls when we
seclude ourselves from others. A spiritual and emotional hibernation… even in
the heat of the summer we can isolate ourselves. Our spirit needs the warmth of
inspiration. It requires the water of
walking fluidly. We allow the fear of
drowning emotionally to take away the joy of living. So, find someone that will
support you as you venture out into the “swimming pool” of life. Let them be your “floaties”.
Enjoy life. Enjoy the
heat of the season that we move through it.
Explore your own desire. Challenge yourself and in turn you will empower
others to be challenged.