I was today years old when I learned that my passions lie with the realm of others. Interestingly enough, it is something I’ve always know just not with such clarity. Looking back on my experiences and looking at my perspective about those experiences I see now as if before it was through a dirty window where you can make out most of it, get a good understanding of it, work with it and deal with it but never really realizing that your working through this dirty window. Today on the other hand it is as if I have nothing between me and this life, it is as if I am on a Rocky Mountain high. Some of you may know what I mean, a clear sunny day unlike anything you can remember! The atmosphere is sparkling! The sky is a shade of blue that can not be described it is so mesmerizing! The air is clear and clean, so much so that you wish you could bathe in it! The light is so intense where you stand that the smallest of details fill your senses! Life as a quality is as full as it can get!
If you’ve not had an experience like this you should go look for it. It’s out there just waiting for you to arrive. Life is good! Why? Because I say so, not only do I say so; everything I do is intended to make it so! Life is good because I do things to make it that way, intentionally. Some of us think having nice things or nice times or fun experiences is what makes life good. I won’t argue that those things do make improvements, but why I know my life is good is because of the people I’ve manage not to offend so badly that they would run away after getting to know me, who are still around and the experiences I’ve had with them when we had none of those nice things involved. Things that I remember have made such an impression on me that I just realized how important those times are. I remember after working out, driving out to the lake with Pete and chugging a six pack and just “shooting the shit” as we called it. Yeah we had a car, a gym and beer at a lake but we didn’t go buy a membership, a car and beer to organize and arrange things. It was just life happening together. Enjoying each others person, values, perspectives and beer :). Organic: I believe is the term used to describe it today. I remember some of my best times are down at the river just screwing around with trees, rocks and water with Bill, Matt, Jan, Rachel, Johnny, Jake and many others on a picnic. Glorious times just being people together. I remember doing the most terrible job and working next to John, who made it all worth the grind. As all things go jobs only last so long and you move on, but John and the time we spent is immortal. He still calls today! Great times!!
Today as the glass has been removed what clarity brings now is the absolute joy I have had helping those that appreciate the help. Know the value of it and reciprocate. The bond of someone who you help just to be decent to others, who appreciates it so much that he tells you again thirty years later is what I’m talking about. The value that communicates about who you can be in the world is phenomenal. I didn’t buy him a car or go with him on a extravagant vacation or plan some big event that we hold onto. Not at all, I just helped him along and he valued the help and me for doing it. He realized that he couldn’t have gotten where he is now with out the help from someone, it was just me who saw he needed it. I really didn’t do it, he did. My help could have been wasted like so many times before. I realized that I couldn’t have gotten to where I am now without his character that appreciated the help. It is all a silver lining for both of us but I got the better deal I’m sad to say. What I got out of it was a high quality character for a friend and what he got was me. He would say and has said such, “you were a hard and difficult person”. Yeah, ’tis true. Hard times wrought hard people.
What I understand about this premise is that ‘birds of a feather’ is warranted, valid and true. I was hard, true. John was hard enough to stick it out and find value. John and I don’t fly in the same flock, but when we meet up the old times, the bad times and the good times are the magnets that draw us closer and make the world go around better. And most importantly it had nothing to do with stuff, planned events or money just the regular battle of life won together!
My passion has reward as does yours. My passion is why I do this here. My passion is specifically helping others however it may be. Your passion may involve a thing (trucks, paint, teeth, numbers) or an activity (fitness, art, singing) whatever it is, give up what you are doing go and pursue your passion and most importantly look for and find the John’s that you will meet, who will make your life rich in spite of all of the other things being what they are, a distraction from greatness!
Lift another, all boats rise with the tide.
Greg