I quoted the very same line for an article I wrote many moons ago, as a student. It was a creative writing piece about how much stronger we become, after emerging from the flames of hell.
Funny how it still rings true today, years later.
The sad thing, however, is this - Sometimes, it isn't the world that breaks us, but those closest to us; those whom we have allowed free access into our hearts, the ones we love most.
The title of this entry seems weighty and living it out requires more courage than I can muster on certain days.
Mundane problems do get the better of me sometimes. On those days and during those moments, I concede to Misery and wallow. I try not to linger in it longer than I should.
Holding out isn't easy. Being here in the waiting makes me feel as though I've been forgotten. And when those days come, I'll try to remember the excerpt below:
"People will call you a cynic, a wry smile on their faces. Pay them no mind. You alone know that you are capable of a love greater than anything they can comprehend. You alone know that you are not willing to sell your identity and respect to the first smirking halfwit to pass by. It is not cynicism. It is reverence for your own vast and fathomless heart, and it makes sense only to love someone who understands that and is awed by it.
You will not always get what you want when you want it. Accept it. Your goals are not set in stone and you are not on a fixed trajectory. Sometimes, Life will take its time and you will have to play the long, interminable game. Play it well and with as much grace as you can muster. Live at your own pace."
To have lived, loved and be loved in return has inspired some of the most brilliant works of art ever created, and it isn’t difficult to understand why. Love is a tapestry which includes; weaving in strengths and weaknesses, creating beauty from flaws.
To love another person wholly is a work of art that most want, but few truly master.
May we remember to love… whoever and however, whenever and wherever, forever and always.
Literature has taken our emotions on a roller coaster ride for the longest time with these two. Hollywood (and all other -wood counterparts) has depicted countless stories regarding both and I’m certain there will be more stories written about them.
In all of its complexities, I believe that the correlation between both could be summed up simply in two (very short) sentences:
After all I’ve gone through and seen, I can safely conclude this: Real love is all about sacrifice. It demands your all, in ways big and small.
It's about choosing the person you've pledged your heart to, over and again, every single day.
It’s about extending forgiveness when you’ve been hurt.
It’s about swallowing your pride when you’ve been wronged.
It’s about sharing your heart when you’d rather hold back.
It’s about choosing to respond in love when you feel like bellowing in anger.
It’s about placing someone else’s needs and desires before your own.
It’s about your time though it might not always be convenient.
It’s about giving up that final spoonful of ice-cream, just so that other person can enjoy it.
Friday reading, courtesy of my boss. (Notebook and tea not included.)
The simplest and most impactful piece of advice by the inimitable John Bevins:
"If you don't enjoy writing it, no one will enjoy reading it."
He goes on to add,
"You can't fake expression. You do have to be in the mood to write. Copywriters - unlike book writers or songwriters - only get days or weeks to produce the inspiration to produce their work, and are expected to be constantly productive. Being constantly in the right mood so that it's always more a joy than a job is a prerequisite. Fun's fundamental."
Many live unfulfilled lives and settle with subpar standards because the idea of beginning again terrifies them. Which, let me tell you, is perfectly normal.
Why should one give up certainty for uncertainty? Why should one trade constant stability for capricious passion? No reason to.
But, what if I guaranteed you success and fulfilment? Would you be willing to step out of your comfort zone then?
See, the fear of failure does more damage (to our dreams) than actual failure.
If we knew of the end in the beginning, if we were promised triumph for every trial, we wouldn’t hesitate (as much) to take on something new.
That’s not how Life works. That’s not how Life should be enjoyed.
Wherever you are in your journey at this moment, I pray that you’ll have the courage to start over.
A blank page. An empty canvass. A different city. A new country.
Whatever it is, don’t be afraid to start over. Who knows, the greatest adventure of your life is a story / brushstroke / flight away...
I was speaking to Little Mermaid all through yesterday and somewhere between our banter about make-up, the weather and life updates, I remember telling her this:
“Sometimes, the worst situations bring out the strength in us, strength we never thought we had.”
It is in those moments when we are rendered powerless, when our legs feel like giving out on us, when our shoulders feel like crumbling because the weight of the world seems too much to bear, when being strong is no longer a choice, but a necessity…
Walking on a bed of spikes with the fires of hell ablaze on every side of the room? Been there.
Floundering as the waves of life come crashing over you, with no warning and no help? Done that.
Darkness seemed so deep, then. Pain seemed permanent, then.
One day, just like that, it all went away. Light burst forth and life happened in technicolor once again.
I realised then, night is just passing through and winter is but a season.
I didn't elaborate further, but that part about the "strength we never thought we had"? Never mine, all His. And for that, I am ever grateful. Because on my own, I would have never made it through.
I'll preface this without any fluff - It will be tough. It will be difficult. On most days, you wonder if you're ever gonna make it through. You won't know if it'll be worth it in the end, because you have no inkling of what the future holds.
But, you know what's worst? Not trying at all. Staying by the shore. Going about life with what if-s plaguing your sanity. Having the what-could-have-been reel playing at the back of your head every night just before you drift off into slumber.
Admittedly, Change has been nerve-wracking this time around. It requires a herculean amount of effort (daily!) to keep at it and not throw in the towel.
Here's the thing - When you try, you win.
So, try. Take a step into the great unknown. Plunge right in. Be absolutely immersed. And when the waves overwhelm you, (borrowing from the words of a very wise fish) just keep swimming. Eventually, you'll get there.
Mr. Rain attended a party he was not invited to, stayed a little longer than he should and he was literally raining on my parade of solitude, rest and alone time.
I was feeling slightly sore about it.
Shortly after the downpour ended, I tilted my head slightly to the right and was greeted with the sight of a rainbow.
I stared at it, breathed in its beauty, leaned in to admire the spectrum of colours and closed my eyes for a couple of seconds, remembering that...
"On days that are less than cheerful, there are reflections of different possibilities that are to come;
that pain, grief and sorrow are not the only and final options in life."
Snuck in a little breather from writing for work, scrolled through little thought-ideas I've jotted down (over the past year) and began expounding on them, just for kicks.
An hour later and I'm four chapters in.
This may or may not end up being a book, a little ways down the road. There's no telling what the future holds.
Until then, I am on a quest to search for the best way to articulate all that He has done and deposited in my heart. After all, it is His to have.
Find out more about The 100 Day Creative Challenge *here*.
- The powdery residue of matter that remains after burning
- Ruins, especially the residue of something destroyed; remains; vestiges
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Something that is perceived as worthless, of no value. For something to become ash, the object has to be burnt till it loses its original form.
There are past happenings, stories we have to live with for the rest of our lives that we'd like to incinerate till it is no longer recognizable so that no one ever sees / hears / knows about them.
But, God tells us that He uses all of us, not one part is left out that He cannot use, even the parts that we'd like to reduce to ashes.
He takes our worthlessness and exchanges something beautiful in its place.
May 1, 1947 - One of Irving Penn’s most famous tableaux, often referred to as The Twelve Beauties. "They represent an Omnibus of Beauty,” wrote the magazine, “current placement of Ziegfield and Gibson Girl legends”. While the image didn’t cover the magazine, it certainly was an early precursor to the age of the supermodel.
What I love more though is the story behind the famed photoshoot - It was at this sitting where Penn first fell in love with wife-to-be, Lisa Fonssagrives (sixth from left).
Dostoyevsky said this, "Beauty will save the world."
Beauty has an astounding allure on humanity. There is inherent worth in beauty, and that worth gives meaning to existence. We hunt endlessly for it, we strive to protect it and our world is better because of it.
Inspired by *this* initiative, it's something that I am taking on for 2016; to go beyond creating for work but to look for beauty in the mundane, to awaken the wonder of life and (hopefully) inspire you to create.
Throughout this year, I'll be posting up penning-s / quotes / typography / designs / any other form of art that has invoked something within my heart and soul right here, for you (and me). It is my hope that when the 100 posts are fulfilled, you will be mesmerised... with life and its Creator.
