TRANSIENT

It's only when we truly know and understand that we have a limited time on earth - and that we have no way of knowing when our time is up, we will then begin to live each day to the fullest, as if it was the only one we had.  ELISABETH KLUBER-ROSS

The temporary nature of our time on this planet has been in the front of my mind of late.  It seems like almost once a week, someone of some importance to me or to someone I value is lost.  More and more often, celebrities of personal significance are passing also.  As I continue my cinema self-education through watching and reading, I find myself fascinated with the lives and times of the industries greatest artists of days gone by.  I often feel saddened by my affection for these creative individuals whose light has extinguished.  So many I hoped to speak with, perhaps even work with, no longer possible.

"The older I get the more things I gotta leave behind, that's life." 

These words have resonated with me since I first heard them spoken by Rocky Balboa in 2006.  There is no denying the truth in the former champion’s words.  Whether you're 9 or 90, with each passing year, you are faced with loss.  From a beloved security blanket or teddy bear, to your closest friends and family members.  From the house you grew up in, to your shoes and undergarments with holes worn through.  We spend much of our compassion and focus much of our love on those things no longer accessible.

At the same time, we are always collecting new things.  We can easily replace our old worn out clothes and shoes with new ones.  Through time and transition we may move away from our friends and colleagues, collecting new ones in our new surroundings.  We even add family members through marriage, and sadly, sometimes subtract them in divorce.  

As each and every cell in us and all living things will eventually die, new cells are in constant development to replace them during that lifespan.  Leaves fall from the trees in autumn; bud, and are reborn in the spring.  Grass turns brown and gray in winter, and grows back green and lush in the summer.

Life in the animal kingdom works differently than that of the plant kingdom.

When life power exits a body, no one truly knows what happens to that energy.  It's been contemplated and defined by countless systems of belief since the dawn of man, but there's no true way to track the metamorphosis of a living soul.  Does it jump into another life form in its earliest phase via "reincarnation"?  Does it transfer to an eternal dimension commonly known as "the afterlife"?  Perhaps as it slips from the body, your soul enters the earth and adds to the collective life energy of the planet, a sort of metaphysical fertilization.      

I believe this pondering is the main source of grief when someone is lost.  Most of us can eventually find a way to cope with the absence of that person from our own lives; the major challenge is the concept of where they've gone, and if we'll ever "meet again".  

These unexpected passing’s that effect our lives are a constant reminder of the insecure nature of life on earth.  With an average lifespan of less than 80 years, life is indeed fleeting.  We are here for a while and then we're gone.

Habits and decisions we make have a huge impact on our earthly time lines.  Many will argue that "you only live once" and you might as well enjoy yourself as best you can while you're here.  Others strive to live as long as humanly possible via diet and exercise routines.

  

Yet there is no sure fire way to seal your fate.  

All things are temporary, including life itself.  Our b0dies will carry our souls for a short period of time in the vast expanse of human history.  What happens next remains a mystery.

So live as if you'll die tomorrow, live as if you'll live forever, live as if your earthy impact will resonate after you're gone, live as if you're auditioning for the next phase, live and enjoy the ride.

LIVE.   

When you rise in the morning, give thanks for the light, for your life, for your strength. Give thanks for your food and for the joy of living. If you see no reason to give thanks, the fault lies in yourself.  TECUMSEH

HUMAN ENGINE

Iron rusts from disuse; stagnant water loses its purity and in cold weather becomes frozen; even so does inaction sap the vigor of the mind.  LEONARDO da VINCI

The wind chill factor plummeted the air temperature to an icy 40 degrees below zero on Monday in Chicago.  As far as I remember, when I walked to the theater and back, I was exposed to the lowest temperatures I've ever experienced.  The local meteorologists have attributed this weather to a "Polar Vortex" which blanketed much of the Midwest, and is heading northeast.  

Cold came earlier this year than the 4 winters since our move from the west coast.  I determined late last year that 20 degrees was my personal threshold when it came to riding my bike to work.  Below 20 degrees, regardless of glove and sock layering, my immobile fingers and toes inevitably feel the freeze before the 8 mile journey is up.  It's been a month since I've been on the bike, and at negative 40, I imagine we've reached the frozen peak.

Again and again we've explored the invaluable lessons and wonders of nature.  At times we feel powerless as victims of natural circumstance.  Fortunately we have the luxury of air conditioning in the hot months, fireplaces, and heating systems in the cold ones.  We dress down in Summer, and bundle up in winter.  Some question my tolerance of cold, wondering how I can stand riding in such low temperatures and wind.   Some of the same people wonder how I might think or act outside of popular opinion and action.  

They're really one in the same. 

The overwhelming majority prefer to think and act within "the limits" to which they are confined.  Ordering from a menu of set dining options, as if it were impossible to incorporate other ingredients plainly visible on the menu.  Choosing television programs, movies, and books from the new release section, when countless classic stories and photo-plays are readily available at your fingertips.  It's almost like a race to see who can achieve ultimate parody, who can see all the movies everyone says they should see, read all the fiction everyone has recommended, and watch all the same shows as everyone they have regular contact with.  

As is frequently the case in our society, that which is most easily accessible, is rarely the best available.  Most prefer  directions in navigation rather than exploration of the world around them.  Most would rather take cues from society than contribute their own discoveries and sense of self.  They would rather avoid nature than be immersed in it.

I was cued to write this in the face of so much puzzlement over my willingness to ride in sub-freezing temperatures at the end of the year.  While I am far from a fitness guru or professional athlete, it's obvious that physical action generates heat and energy to a body in motion.  To a large extent, we need not rely exclusively on outside forces to keep warm in cold surroundings.  Each of us is a self-sustaining power plant of flesh and blood.

Each of us is a living, breathing, "Human Engine". 

Not only do we possess a miraculous physical form in our body, but also an infinitely powerful heart-based emotional force, and equally powerful mind-based intellectual capacity.  Though physical results are only externally visible with the body, the same effort and exercise is required of the heart and mind to build strength in both.  Conformity and imitation build nothing, and generally promote weakness.  Staying "in-line", doing as others do, make you more of a part, than a whole.  

We each face countless decisions in our lives, and have access to an infinite number of choices.  7+ billion independent human engines on this planet, all of free thought, most of free will . .  

Why strive to be anything other than ONE in 7,000,000,000?       

In the depth of winter I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer.  ALBERT CAMUS