How do I respond to people I meet every day? Do I put effort and sincerity in all I share with others? Is there an invisible force that inspires me to say certain things or to show special random gestures? Do I respond to the whispers which come from the hearts of those people around me? Do these whispers make me reach into places I would normally not even give a second glance? Am I in tune with the origin of that beautiful invisible force that moves me to do random acts of kindness? Do I really understand those nudges that guide me toward something that needs my attention?

 

I take all these questions with me to my special meditation place, and every time, I come up with one single answer. Yes, I believe the answer to my questions has one single origin that is linked directly to my soul, my heart and my feelings.

 

Basically I have come to understand it as a sense that I have forgotten to use and to recognize clearly. I can call it intuition, a sixth sense or simply a gut feeling. I am constantly directed in paths that I normally don't recognize, thus often I am met with challenges that require me to act out of character and out of my comfort zone. I am not at all surprised, though I believe that is part of my inner natural functions.

 

I may have plans and goals, yet at the end of it all the final outcome is never up to me regardless of my original intention. It is the reason why I find it very important to maintain an attitude of gratitude throughout every one of my journeys. I cannot possibly imagine expecting all my plans to work out smoothly every time. It could be in fact frustrating to realize that nothing will ever go my way.

 

Well, I actually did have those moments of frustration, but one look in the mirror and it made me realize what was important. I fear not being in control of my life, because deep inside I have a desire to regulate my immediate environment. I can surely control how thankful I am, especially if this attitude impacts people around me.

 

Undoubtedly, I do have control over how I react to all situations. I can choose to accept things as they are, or fight to change them. I can also choose to be happy or to be miserable, to be positive or to act as a complete miserable crackpot.

 

I suppose that a good way to look at this very particular phenomenon is by recognizing the difference between a spectator and a performer.

 

As a spectator, I am presented with limitations in my participation. In life however, I am asked to become part of the performance. Life is constantly inviting me to get involved with the story, to become a very significant part of it and to enjoy the feeling of being meaningful. Yes life is constantly asking me to be part of the final act, so I decide whether or not I want my name in the closing credits.

 

I had the idea that life didn't pertain directly to me. In certain situations I viewed existent problems as not my own problems. However, I began to notice something peculiar... Those same problems that I had ignored kept constantly parading in front my eyes every day. I realized that my voice and my actions were required and I was deciding not to accept the invitation. I denied myself the privilege to participate on the basis of awkwardness and inequity.

 

What was that obstacle that kept me from participating with life to the fullest? I wondered what it would be like if I could only see the big picture. Would I not participate a lot more and more often? I imagined what it would be like if I did not miss a single moment, nor a single feeling or experience. I realized that I was meant to experience life to the fullest, but the problem was that I was choosing not to participate.

 

So what really kept me from participating in life every day? I did have a million reasons yet there was only one answer. I looked in the mirror and I got my answer. Me!!!

 

I didn't see how important I truly was at that time. I didn't recognize that my presence here was much intended. I was capable to build the exact same thing as other people before me. Perhaps I didn't know all my special characteristics but I knew that everyone around me had a set of their own. I realized that I was capable of reaching just as far as anyone else, and that I was just as important in this beautiful performance called life.

 

There is some truth perhaps that everyone represents one single image, but I still don't know that for certain. I grew up saying it loudly and repeating it as part of some ritual yet I never really believed it.

 

There was a battle that I kept fighting in my mind that kept me from seeing life around me. I asked myself if maybe I was caught as a slave to illusions and lies, because there was something trying so hard to keep me from seeing who I was for real. What was that? I am not sure yet, but I became aware that if there was something from keeping me from living life fully, then surely there was something worth living for, that was also truly intended.

 

So I began to test this new theory... I began by participating in situations which presented themselves to me daily. I began to do little things for people around me, recognizing they were there, asking questions about them, becoming involved in their daily routines. I then realized how special people really were, how interesting their lives were and more importantly how interesting life really was... I had almost missed it.

 

I understood that we were capable to move mountains for real, but we needed each other though nothing could be done alone. We truly need each other. This free gift of life needs our willing participation. I came to realize that we can decide to let life pass us by, or we can accept the invitation and get involved.

 

We are all truly significant to each other in this life around us. We are taught this in very many different ways, and we must understand the beauty in life as it invites us to become the very essential characters to its amazing recipe.

 

This is not just about me or you... It is about us... Though, significance implies togetherness.

 

I say...

Let us all make an effort to taste life...

to grasp it...

to feel it...

to live it…

 

Let us all be part of the Story into which we are all invited!!!