A Year With Rumi
The other night I borrowed a book from work titled “A Year With Rumi.” Rumi was a 13th century poet whose work is still quoted and embraced as gospel for those searching for a deeper meaning in life. My intention was to use the book as a prop, but while flipping through the pages I found myself immersed in his words. Since there are 365 pieces, I naturally flipped to the dates that held significance to me- birthdays, holidays, etc. Then I turned to the poem of that present date- July 19. It’s strange sometimes how messages sneak up on you when you are least expecting it. I felt a really strong connection to this particular piece of writing, and had it not been that exact day I may never have uncovered it. To me this piece is about living for and recognizing who we are meant to be… Accepting our differences and embracing the love inside us that fuels us to make the best choices for our individual life paths.
“Love for Certain Work”
Traveling is as refreshing for some
as staying at home is for others.
Solitude in a mountain place
fills with companionship for this one,
and weariness for that one.
This person loves being in charge
of the workings of a community.
This other one loves the ways
heated iron can be shaped with a hammer.
Each has been given a strong desire
for certain work, a love for these motions,
and all motion is love.
The way sticks and pieces of dead grass and leaves
shift about in the wind
and with the directions of rain and puddle-water
on the ground, those motions
are all following the love
they have been given.
6Brave
Last night I took a class offered by Gotham Writers on writing for children’s books. The class was meant to be an introduction to a lengthier course, but I found the information that the teacher gave in the brief period of time he had to be extremely helpful and insightful.
The advice that stuck with me the most came in the form of discussing character development in the story. He said that it was important for your main character to exhibit lows, encounter danger, live with fears, and most importantly, have flaws. The character needed to have something difficult to deal with in order to overcome and achieve his or her desire. ”It’s not brave if you weren’t afraid in the first place,” he reminded us.
That line has been ringing in my head since last night, as I find it to be so true to real life as well as fictional stories. Think about the greatest achievements or the most worthwhile things you’ve had in your life to date. Are they things that were simply handed to you? Did you take risks to achieve them, or give something new a chance?
I have a mug that sits next to my computer that says, “Do something every day that scares you.” A lot of things scare me. Some days, its as simple as posting a blog entry. Other days, it means applying for a job. Then there are the deeper things, that don’t just happen overnight. Making a career change. Walking away from a relationship. Giving a relationship a chance. Calling someone you haven’t spoken to in months. Saying “I love you.” Saying “I’m sorry.” Visiting a family member in the hospital. Killing a spider. Trapping a mouse. Sleeping alone at night. Living alone. Telling the truth. Whatever it may be, you feel a sense of accomplishment when it was over because you took a risk in doing it in the first place.
Think about your favorite book growing up as a child. Most likely, you related to the main character because you found a part of yourself in him or her. I guarantee that if you look back on it now as an adult, you’ll be able to see the complex layers and struggles in even the most basic storyline.
That’s what life is. A delicately woven tale of highs and lows, good and evil, struggles and successes all tied together in you, the main character. You don’t know the ending, because you don’t know what will be thrown your way. You can’t predict what supporting characters will be on the last page because they have stories of their own to follow, but you have to keep turning the page to find out. It’s certainly not interesting to read the same page over and over again, expecting to find different words on it than the time before.
Living your life to the fullest is the bravest thing you’ll ever do. So start now. Today. Pick who you want you, your main character to be, think about what they fear the most, and challenge yourself to overcome that. No matter what setbacks you may encounter, keep moving forward.
No one wants to read a book with a blank last page.
