Life.
Life is mysterious in the same way it is predictable. For every path that is unknown it feels as though there’s a path of predictability or routine about it too. I guess that’s why they call it “the great wide open” because as i see it, some things are familiar yet the horizon is always changing. There’s a lot that can happen. Sometimes you see it coming, other times it comes out of the blue and surprises you.
It seems we’re always chasing something in life. We’re determined to achieve things and when we achieve that goal we move on to a new goal. It’s funny that we are rarely satisfied or content with what we have or where we are in life? Why is that? Is contentment a sign of stopping? Of not caring enough? Of losing your determination to succeed? It kind of feels like the world will tell us perhaps it is, because striving towards something is often linked with success, or at least the lure of success.
Chasing things in life is definitely part of the plan. It’s not just the chase to succeed however that occurs. Chasing success will leave you feeling accomplished but will it ultimately leave you feeling complete? It may for some, but i’m guessing for most the answer is — No.
The other day i read an Instagram post by Jon Foreman. Jon is the front man for the band Switchfoot, one of my favourites. In this post he spoke about life and things that make us feel alive, and what it means for us.
“When we come alive we are stretched to become more than we are. When we come alive we are thankful for what we have. When we come alive we are bold in our love. When we come alive we gain a perspective that was lacking before. Because life is both a choice and a gift — We seek after it and it comes to us. “
The post resonated with me not just because i respect the things that Jon says, but because I’ve found that he’s pretty accurate with his thoughts on this issue. I’ve found them to be true. Life is full of moments and scenarios in which have left us feeling alive.
You feel alive in the special times you’ve shared with friends growing up, even when the years separate the now distant memory the emotion you feel to that past memory is a reminder that you’re alive, because you feel something.
You feel alive in the moments you connect with people on an intimate level. It could be something as simple as a gesture of goodwill, like offering a seat up to the elderly, or sharing a joke with a friend that leaves you both laughing. These moments are the moments we remember, the moments we look back on fondly. These are like moments where life has breathed in to us.
The happy moments leave us feeling alive, but i’m reminded that it’s not always this way. When the moments are more sombre and depressive it is a reminder that life can give and life can take away. But, it’s okay to feel this way. It is after all another reminder that you are alive — because you feel something.
What I’ve found is that the things in life that most make you feel alive are the things you should chase. Perhaps it’s an activity or environment that leaves you feeling this way? Perhaps it’s a relationship? It may even just be a place that for what ever reason connects with you? Either way, it’s important to you because it does something positive for you.
When you’re in “that place” you gain a new perspective of something. You gain an appreciation for something when a new perspective is learned. It can open your mind or change your heart to the matter. That there is life breathing in to us. And when life breathes in to us we grow into something more than what we were before that moment.
Chase it! Hold on to it…..and don’t let it go.
The Unwinding Cable Car 