The Feeling of Life and the Journey of Living

I was watching a romantic comedy. There was one line in it that struck my semi-awakened mind. The truth behind the line was so profound that I felt the need to expand upon it.  I offer to you more insights born from, of all things, an inane line from a romantic comedy.

It is not the meaning of life that matters but the feeling of life and the journey of living. That is the end result of my paraphrasing and twisting the movie line.

How many of us are looking for the meaning behind everything that happens, especially the things that happen we don't want?  How many of us planned for an outing or an event only to have something come up at the last minute forcing us to change those plans? If it hasn't happened to you yet in your life, it will. It is a fact of life. It is "house rules", as Dan Millman would say.


When this happens, in our reaction there inevitably come the questions of "Why did this have to happen?" and "Why me?". Did the universe just have it out for you that day? No. Is everybody out there trying to ruin your plans? No. the truth is that what happened, happened. You didn't foresee it and you didn't count on it. Where does the blame truly reside? Well, the answer is simple. The blame resides inside you.


Now, I'm not doing a bunch of finger-pointing here. I am just bringing certain things to light. The reason you feel as though things went wrong is because you chose to feel that way. Your allowed your mind to control your emotions. Did something happen? Yes. but what were our actions? Did you choose to pout over it? Did you choose to start finger pointing? Did you choose to ask the negative questions? Yes, you did, even if the choice was subconscious. 


Happiness is a point of view. Do you blame the sky for raining or do you learn to dance in the rain? I prefer to dance in the rain. It can be quite invigorating and enjoyable. 


If the burden of life seems to become too cumbersome, which do you do: pray for the burden to be lifted or pray for bigger shoulders to carry it? Life throws us nothing we cannot handle. It may take a little bit of management, yes. But we are born with the capacity to deal with whatever life throws our way. It is up to you to take action. Yes, that action sometimes means making the conscious choice not to act. 


Life is not a destination. It is a journey. The load we carry shifts as we travel. Sometimes things drop off, evaporate, or are used. Sometimes those things are replaced. Sometimes something new is added. Each thing we carry has its purpose. It is up to you to figure out what you want to use them for. But that is the great puzzle of life, isn't it? That is what makes life fun, figuring out the puzzles. In the end, it doesn't matter if we got it right or not, but that we did our best and had fun in the process.


Feeling is what makes life enjoyable. How we perceive something is up to our point of view. Yes, bad things happen. We can all agree that there are things that universally are negative. Feel those things. Enjoy feeling those things. I know, it sounds weird to say you should enjoy grieving. Without the love that is there, the grieving wouldn't be there either. Enjoy feeling sorrow. It reminds you that you care about something. but don't let those feelings be the end of your existence. Instead, use that love that was there for positive actions. I guarantee that nobody who cared about us who has passed wants us to waste the rest of our lives pondering on why they had to die. It's "house rules". Everybody dies. The trick is to accept that and enjoy the life you have, NOW! That's what our loved ones want of us. Yes, they want to be remembered. But none of them want their memory to consume your life.


Feel life. Feel everything around you. Feel the wind in your hair. Feel the sun on your face. Feel the snowflakes on your eyelids. Feel the kiss on your lips. Feel the rain drip off of your nose. Feel the hand that you're holding. Feel the grass growing beneath your feet. Hear the music of the universe. See the wonderful displays of nature: lightning, butterfly wings, flowers. Smell the scents. taste the flavors of your food. ACT... don't just think about it. 


The bottom line is that you need to make the conscious choice to enjoy every step of the journey of life. Yes, sometimes you will step onto a rocky path. Sometimes that path will have sharp stones that cut your heel. Taking a short break to let that cut heal is taking an action. While doing so, smell the roses. Adjust that burden. build bigger shoulders. Refill your canteens. If all you do is sit there and worry about that cut, that cut will rule your life instead of giving you the opportunity to enjoy everything else that's around you. Do so passionately!


Walk through life aware of what is around you. Keep peace, love, kindness, courtesy, compassion in your heart. Do not do with naivety. Protect yourself and those things you love and care about. Live in the moment, for that is the way of the warrior. Action is the spirit of the warrior.