Against the Wind

Hey all. Hope this finds you all comfortable, safe and well. I'm a bit sad and quite pensive, because today I went to the funeral of a community member. I'm not a fan of funerals, let's say from the outset. I don't suppose anyone really is, and if you are, you should go and seek psychiatric help. But moving on from that, besides allowing you to grieve your lost friend or loved one, funerals open your mind to other things. Have I lived a good life? Have I had fun? Have I done the things I wanted to do?

I learned a few things at this funeral.

1) Being very active in your community does not mean that you will get a large number of people from that community at your funeral.


2) Living a sustained good life, contributing, helping and uplifting, however, does earn you respect, and ensure that you will be missed, at least by those whose hearts are genuine.

I think it's a natural thing to walk away from any funeral wondering whether, when you get to the end of your days, you're going to be able to look back and think have I lived a good life? The wondering in itself worries me, because of the fickleness of the human spirit. We do not have a close relationship, (in general as a race) with morals and other standards. We just don't always do good or right things.  To one, living a good life might be like living like Dexter, the TV serial killer. To another, it might mean living like Jonathan, the angel on Highway to Heaven, if we are going to use TV analogies to illustrate this point. So with this differing definition of what a good life may be, where does it leave us when we come to the day of reckoning? God to you: Have you lived a good life? You: Yes. God: But you were like Dexter or TV. You get the picture.

I think the point of it all is perhaps, to have FUN. We may not all have the same opinion of what good is (and please I'm not asking you all to tailgate Dexter). And having fun means being true to yourself. So I guess what I'm trying to get at with this post is be yourself. We all have to stop worrying so much what others think of us.

"I'm really gay, but what if my father found out?" As my kids keep telling me, it's MY life. It's not your father's life.  So yeah.. your dad may not be too enthralled about you coming out. But what about you? Will you be happy living with it a secret for years to come? I once heard someone say something:  if you have something to offer the world, it's your responsibility and maybe your duty to offer it. Young people have one major thing to offer the world: Themselves, with all their ideas and talents. Let go, and be who you are.

Until next time.

While I was writing this, this song Running Against the Wind by Bob Seger, with the Running Scene from Forrest Gump, popped into my head, so I thought I would share it with you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4N0YAsvkDqg