All That Is Gold Does Not Glitter

"All that is gold does not glitter, 

Not all those who wander are lost; 

The old that is strong does not wither, 

Deep roots are not reached by the frost. 

From the ashes a fire shall be woken, 

A light from the shadows shall spring, 

Renewed shall be blade that was broken, 

The crownless again shall be king."*

That which appears one way is not necessarily the way it is. Every part of life carries this truth, and it carries both ways. Not everything that is good straightaway appears good, and something that appears fair can yet be foul. 

In experiences, a golden moment or opportunity can be disguised as trash. It takes patience and vision to look beyond the outer appearance to see the value of the occurrence. 

Even if a fair conclusion cannot be reached in one's life time, who is to say that generations following will not be affected in an overtly positive was because of actions or experiences had by yourself or previous generations. 

This time of year always brings for me that rememberance of times past, of heroes who didn't realize they were heroes who gave up their lives, loves and comfort to fight for generations to come. Even generations that wouldn't remember their sacrifice, offspring who wouldn't appreciate the mud one had to dredge through, the blood of comrades one could never wash off, and the memories that haunted to the dying day. This, though it may be concealed as loss, as withering, as covered in waste, has more value than the highest amount if gold ever collected, the largest gem ever collected, and the most money ever spent. These were lives given for the generations to come. These were hopes and dreams dashed so that others' hopes and dreams could be realized later. 

This is truly a treasure worth finding and holding on to. 

Honor the sacrifice. We will remember them. 

*J.R.R Tolkien, Lord of the Rings 

 

Enjoy The Little Things

Once I realized the truth that comes with responsibility, that age comes with new knowledge and new issues, I began to wish to myself and hope that life would become simpler. It always seemed to escalate. This issue happens and I think it's the worst thing ever to come along, then the next thing happens and I wonder how I thought the last thing was so bad, so on and so forth. While it may not necessarily happen exponentially, it does seem to increase.

Ah, the simple life. That time as a child when it all seemed so complicated when really, all I had to worry about was keeping my room clean and not getting too many smacks for picking on my sisters. It all was so unfair! Then as I got older and issues got bigger, I started realizing that life is a lot more complex than my 5 year old brain had comprehended. Time happened, years came and went, and all of a sudden I find myself as a responsible adult with all these adult sized challenges.

What I have come to realize in my supreme current wisdom (which in a few days to a few years I will come to know is just another level of simplicity to overcome) is that life doesn't get simpler. Life becomes adapt or die. Life pushes you beyond that point that you once were and gives you the opportunity to become more weathered and wise than you ever were before. The simplicity doesn't increase as time goes on, only the ability to cope with the new things.

It's not all bad news, 5 year old me. There are joys that one gets with increased age as well. It's just that those joys are as complex as the challenges that come along. Sometimes the joys and challenges get together and contribute to each other, sometimes they are completely separate from each other. Life gets good, you little rascal. You get good too. Just never simple.

So Small a Thing...

'"Is it not a strange fate that we should suffer so much fear and doubt for so small a thing? So small a thing!”*

                        

So often I make the same mistake that Boromir did. Clutching to a misguided hope in something other than his own strength and courage or faith in those around him, he searches to a solution that will be a quick and easy fix. While it may not necessarily be the thought that Tolkien had in mind when he created the character of Boromir, this still speaks to me in a few ways. 

- Am I searching for something that will be that easy fix for my problems? Should I instead accept the fact that these things inside of me I struggle with are there to strenthen and overcome in the journey instead of taking the shortcut that seems to solve it? These challenges in my life and in myself are things to overcome and become the champion of my own tale. How much more inspirational will that be than finding an object to solve everything magically. 

- Why do I fear that small thing that is inside me? The things that I let become obstacles in my dreams and my decisions are instead simply part of that tale. Instead of being the almost overwhelming problems, I can see them as a small thing that should not cause fear and doubt. My dreams, my life, my journey is so much larger than that. 

The hope and truth in all this is: even though Boromir failed in one moment of weakness in his original quest, he had the courage and strength in himself to overcome this failure and ultimately be the champion we all desire to be. I see the story of Boromir as the tale of a flawed hero, but a hero nonetheless. 

*Excerpt From: Tolkien, J.R.R. “The Lord of the Rings 1 - The Fellowship of the Ring.” iBooks. 

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**Image from http://joeoliverart.deviantart.com/art/Boromir-Speed-Painting-343345876

Who I Am vs. Who I Am

In the season 1 finale of Community, Jeff says about his two love interests, "one makes me feel like the me at New Years, with all these resolutions for a better year. The other makes me feel like the me I actually am 3 weeks after New Years when all of the resolutions have gone by the wayside." This is paraphrased as I haven't seen this episode in a little while, but it encapsulates one of the thoughts in my head as of late. This thought is, which of me is me?

In my head I have a concept of two Me's. One Me has everything together, manages money well, has life in balance, has regular washing done and gets to bed at a set time each week. The other Me seems to be the complete opposite of all these perfections I have just described. Which one am I? 

Now, I know I'm not the Me that has everything together. I know this because even of I had these things listed in "Together Me" I would still find many things about myself that I am unhappy with. I will never achieve this perfection. However, the fact that I yearn for these things gives me the assurance that the other Me, the "Opposite Me" is not who I am either. If I was completely content with this, it would be a scary thing. 

I would like to think that the balance somewhere between these two is where the real Me actually sits roams. Somewhere in the unknown beyond that is this balance is where the cowboy that is me is wandering. They say finding yourself takes a lifetime, I tend to believe this. Occasionally I find myself in this wilderness, but I tend to lose myself again fairly quickly. 

Again, I am comforted that I am not the only one struggling with this thought. Even one of the most influential men to walk this planet, Paul, says about himself, "But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?"* 

Oh wretched man that I am. On the journey to find Me in the wilderness, I must grasp onto that which is bigger than me to hold as an example, a guide, and the strength to carry on. 

* (Romans 7:23, 24 NKJV)

The Expected Journey from Non-Ordinary to A Cut Above

When you choose to do something extraordinary, why is it such a surprise when the extraordinary thing ends up harder than you think? And when it ends up harder, why is the natural reaction to turn around to return to the ordinary. No matter how ordinary the ordinary seemed before, when attempting to do the extraordinary, it seems comfortable and peaceful.

I have a non ordinary life. I have chosen to do things that ordinary people would find amazing. It isn't because I am not ordinary. In fact, most of the time I feel very ordinary. I feel as if everyone can do better than what I can without even trying. But non ordinary isn't enough.

Ordinary, non ordinary or extraordinary are to my mind three different things. Ordinary describes something mundane, usual, normality to a point of bordom. Non ordinary is exactly that. It isn't yet extraordinary, but it isn't ordinary. It is sitting on the fence, wanting to be doing something different, but not able to find that thing to set onself apart. It is a half hearted attempt to be extraordinary.

But extraordinary. This is a cut above. This is more than unusual, it is something that makes people wonder.

A Soldier: This is one who lives a life a cut above the rest, and as such naturally demands the respect of those around. A civilian life is not for this. In their training, their job, their task, their goals, they demand more of themselves than any ordinary person. Whether it is in their sense of duty, their personal desire for power, their sacrifice for the greater good, they are in search of something that sets them above the rest.

An Athlete: An athlete lives a non-ordinary life. To take an athlete from a non ordinary life to an extraordinary life, sacrifice, drive and passion are needed. They take a sacrifice that to some would seem ridiculous, but to them it is a way of life. Hardship, hunger, pain, discomfort, all these aspects of their daily life result in an extraordinary result. For this, it is all worth it to even have a chance of the glory that being the best brings. As such, they are respected as extraordinary.

As someone on the search for the extraordinary, I must take hardship, pain, discomfort and the unusual as part of what it is. When hardship takes me by surprise in the pursuit of non-ordinary, I must set myself apart and not give up the path I have chosen. Only in this I can change from ordinary to non-ordinary, and then from that to extraordinary.

The thing that sets apart the extraordinary isn't luck. It isn't comfort. It isn't being in the right place at the right time. It is the determination not to give up when it becomes harder than you thought. It is to accept the pain, the discomfort and to realise all these things pale in comparison to what the result, what the glory and the prize is.

Fight to be extraordinary.

Happiness vs Hopefulness

So my thought is this. People say that for true happiness to be had, you must be content with where you are right now. But then a contrasting thought is that hope for a better tomorrow comes from a place of discontent with where either you or the world around you is at.
Beginning this post, I actually have no set outcomes of this thought. I am gettting some thoughts into words and seeing where it goes.

So happiness. We need to be happy. We must be happy at least some of the time. The human state demands this. If we aren't happy, depression and frustration sets in, and literally makes the body sick. Unhappiness is not a good constant state to be in. And there is an aspect to happiness in realizing that where you are right now is a good place. Counting your blessings even if there's some crap going on around you. It's realizing that there are good things in everything.

Hoping for a better future can be frustrating at times. This can happen especially if the future you are hoping for seems out of reach. Humankind finds this to be true every year at the beginning of the year in the form of the New Years Resolution. But on the other hand, nothing will get better without hoping for better. Every great thing that has happened is because of a frustration with a current reality. There have been some great changes in the world from this.

I begin to think, however, that these aren't so much contrasting ideas as they are a balance that should take place. Instead of solely bonding to one of these ideals, a need to have both begins to surface. Keeping entirely to one of these could cripple you in your thinking, and either you will never be happy, or you won't realize that you need change in your life.

In conclusion I bring an ancient proverb to mind. "Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when the desire comes, it is a tree of life."

Let this bless you as it may. Stay excellent.

I like this just a bit. Call me crazy...

"You think fairy tales are only for girls? Here's a hint - ask yourself who wrote them. I assure you, it wasn't just the women. It's the great male fantasy - all it takes is one dance to know that she's the one. All it takes is the sound of her song from the tower, or a look at her sleeping face. And right away you know - this is the girl in your head, sleeping or dancing or singing in front of you. Yes, girls want their princes, but boys want their princesses just as much. And they don't want a very long courtship. They want to know immediately."

- David Levithan and Rachel Cohn.