A bit more than four months ago, while onboard a plane and somewhere over the pacific, this blog began. I sat in my seat wondering what life had in store for me when my plane landed in Australia. Countless emotions occupied my head on that flight, and all at the same time. Excitement was one of them, of course, but nervousness and fear were never too far behind. When Electronic Arts offered me this once in a lifetime opportunity I knew that I had to accept. There was something inside of me that refused to even consider any answer other than “yes”. It probably sounds strange, but its true. I am sure that others have felt this same feeling. Saying yes to this assignment in Australia with Firemonkeys also meant saying no to all of my fears and insecurities. It was a big step for this guy.
The flight to OZ was an opportunity to reflect back on a lot of things. If nothing else, reflecting back kept my fears of the unknown at bay. Then again, was it the unknown or the known that scared me the most? I am the type of person that requires familiarity for security. When I don't have familiarity I resort to humor, which is my primary coping mechanism. If all else fails, I just climb back into my shell and I hide. My strength and security comes mostly from knowing that family, friends, and Chris are always close by if needed. Knowing all of this about myself made traveling more than nine thousand miles to live in a foreign country an extremely frightening proposition. Something within told me that this trip to Australia was important for reasons beyond work. I felt like there was a lesson to learn on this trip. A lesson about myself and maybe even others.
It didn't take long before I started to meet people that would change my life forever. Tanja, Cynthia, and Frank who experienced tragic loss of love and life, yet they all still managed to carry on with such strength. People from work who took me into their lives and did their best to ensure that I felt their friendship and support while in a new country. Even those people who work in this hotel, The Blackman, who in some strange way have become like family in a lot of ways. Each person impacted my life in a special way, and mostly without even knowing. I might say that the first lesson I learned is that everyone has the power to impact another’s life in a very powerful way. Sometimes it occurs by choice and other times it occurs without even knowing. Either way, it happens, and it is something to remember as I go about my daily life. A bit of kindness to a stranger might be exactly what they required to help them overcome their own personal struggle. If nothing else, it certainly makes for a better world for us all to share. This first lesson was a powerful one, but I still couldn't help but feel that there was more to come.
After some time passed, and aside from missing Chris, life in OZ started to feel normal and almost routine. I fell into a rhythm that consisted of life’s typical struggles and triumphs. Work offered me the challenges necessary to keep life interesting and some friends to share it with on occasion. I looked forward to Chris’ visit, and almost as quickly as he arrived I was seeing him away. It almost felt like I was starting all over from day one after Chris left. My friends here in OZ did their best to ensure that I felt their love and support, but it was still difficult. I closed myself off to the possibility of any new life lessons, or did I?
A call with my mother brought the answers that I was looking for all along. She told me about a book filled with adventure, love, loss, riches, sadness, and happiness. One that is riveting yet whose last chapter has yet been written. That book is my life, and I am the author. As the author I get to choose what is written and how my life is goes. There are situations that happen and things that are out of my control, but I get to choose how I react in each scenario. I can choose bitterness, anger, happiness, love, or whatever I want, but it is my book. Sometimes it feels as though I am just a character in this book, and that is when its most important to remember the true author. Life is finite, and we don't have the luxury of a “do over” or a rewind, which makes it even more important to pen each page carefully. My mother never ceases to amaze me, but I never expected her to be the courier of my next lesson.
Mom's lesson came at a great time. I was struggling with a few things and I needed the reminder of how precious life truly is and how it is up to me to find my own happiness before it ends. There is an ending after all, and for the most part, that is the one part of my story that I don't get to write. In the mean time, I am gluing a pen to my hand!
The book I am authoring comes with pictures, so here are a few of my recent ones…
No comments:
Post a Comment