Something many people don’t know about the lilac flower is that it releases its strongest scent once it has already died. I’m determined to find it but there is a film where one of the dying characters asks his friend “Do you smell lilacs?” as he passes away. In addition to this being my funeral flower, I think there are a lot of interesting things to ponder about the idea of renewal after our proverbial petals have been crushed.
What I’m learning about life is that as our lives tick by, our perspective changes drastically based on the new information we receive. I once bought a pack of strawberries and was preparing them when I discovered a worm crawling out of one of them. While I doubt it would have killed me, I’m not a fan of eating raw worm – or dealing with sick pathological liars.
A lot of people ask me why I blog. While I have every intention of being a published author, my blog has been an active part of my life for 14+ years. It’s a way for me to connect the dots of life together. For every blog I’ve written, I’ve read it at least 3-4 times. Often, I’ll look to the past to remind myself of circumstances and situations in order to be encouraged and motivated during the present.
Ohio
I took a last-minute trip to Ohio last week to visit with family. It’s been a rocky few months and I needed to hit the reset button for myself. As somebody who tends to be the motivator/encourager for others, it’s not first nature for me to reach out to others for a hand when I’m down. However, I knew this situation was one that required the help and support of my closest friends/family.
What really struck me about this past trip was that I was able to retrace almost every step of 20+ years I lived in Ohio. From visiting old stomping grounds to driving along country roads and remembering the countless drives where life was quite different than it is today.
Spending time with Mark and Travis was really life-giving. “A warrior’s true armor is the men to the right and left of him.” I’m so incredibly grateful to have these two men as my brothers (with arms) who have stood next to me as we’ve tackled life and chased our dreams, supported each other through pain and heartbreak. We’re standing tall and strong; unconquerable warriors who would rather plant their feet in the ground and be met with a glorious death than to face the shame of retreat. Molon Labe.
Warrior
We don’t have a lot of modern day warriors to look up to as heros. Most of our role models are smeared with scandal and publicly-traded breaches of integrity, who pay attorneys (or military) to fight their battles instead of stepping to the plate and fighting their own war.
Most people think of the concept of being a warrior as being only a masculine trait. I disagree. I think there are many things in life that can benefit from the warrior mindset of holding nothing back. Family, love, trust, forgiveness, integrity, compassion, empathy, honesty, friendship, loyalty and faith can all be unleashed to their fullest potential when we aren’t afraid of holding nothing back.
In the Maasai tribe, young boys go through their initiation into manhood by hunting and killing a lion with nothing more than a spear. The first boy to strike the lion with his spear is revered and respected. It is such an honor to be the first one to strike that the boy is given a new name upon return to his home.
I think that’s a powerful statement…the very identity and name of the young man is no longer than same as what it was before the hunt. We aren’t the same people as we were yesterday, nor should we want to be.
Featured Image From Deviantart
No Comments