CHALLENGES CAN FUEL OUR PASSION

Date Published: June 1, 2013

The door slid open and her jaw dropped. I had completely lost track of reality : I was dancing in the elevator on my rollerblades, listening to ‘Girl on Fire”!! My downstairs neighbor jumped in followed by two young girls with big eyes staring up at me. I was going for a quick stop at home to apply some sunscreen so I pulled one headphone off and started laughing. “We gotta do what keeps us young!”, I explained. She walked off on her floor encouraged to get her dusty wheels out for a spin.

Two days before I had been reminded about a simple fact. Keep my creativity alive by doing things I’m passionate about! Rollerblading does it for me every single time and I hadn’t gone out in months. It always makes me feel alive, free, empowered and unstoppable. That sounds right when it’s a smooth ride, what if I slid and ended up having a huge raw scrape and bulging bruise on my body!? Would I be passionate then!?

Knee protection. Check. Wrist guards. Check. Helmet. No, I have my cap. Sunscreen. Check. So it rained a bit and the sun was out. The sidewalk was slippery and I was just too chirpy and pumped up to be careful. There was a line of cars which had stopped at the street light and I was rolling past them as if I were a skier carving down the mountain. My left foot unexpectedly gave in under my body and I fell heavily on my left leg. I didn’t stop there. The inertia pulled me forward and my breasts squeezed against the humid concrete sidewalk.

All throughout this ordeal, I saw myself through the eyes of the people in the cars. Carefree chic confidently rolling down the street suddenly disappearing behind the scrubs. “Ohhhhh. Oh No!!!!! Ahhhhhhh. Where did she go? Should we get out?! What happened!!??!” Then I decided it was time to lift my head up and take a few breaths.

I sat regally as if I were in my yoga class and slowly began to survey my body for the damage. A large red skin burn was evident right from the beginning on my leg. I stared down at my cleavage and miraculously there were no scrapes. “Maybe I shouldn’t be headed in that direction”, I thought, considering the fall to be a sign. I decided to head straight to Bill Baggs State Park.

I got up happy that I could still get up. Thrilled I hadn’t hurt myself more. Fascinated that the fall couldn’t persuade me to quit.

Then it hit me. A thought this time. Any difficulty interfering with one of my passions can only reinforce my commitment to it. As my short cut into my wound I felt alive and I rolled it up into a hot pant. Yes. I will rollerblade even if I am aching. Effort? No. I was on a high, dancing to my music and smiling at my neighbors. As I entered the shadowy and muddy pathways of the park I felt excited by the possibility of falling, engaging in a game of determination to stay on my two feet. I had learned from experience and I was a bit more conservative than my freestyle ways.

A man waved at me with his wife and as I came back around he asked me if I had ever fallen. “Yes!!!!”, I replied emphatically; with no time to say more as I sped past. Right away I reflected on my passion for my work and a certainty of success came over me. Nothing can stop me when I’m passionate about something and my sense of gratitude for everything that happens can’t be taken away.

One of my sons told me right after he saw my leg, “You will never get rid of that scar”. It will be my little reminder. I’m passionately scarred. : )

Blessings!

Mena

Menafesting Heaven on Earth