Finding Home

Finding a true life can be difficult. Seeing children play and grow is an interesting thing, as they are as true to who they are, and who they were born to be, than they will be at any other point of their lives. And it is beautiful to experience. We run into people in our lives at times, who seem to us to embody that ‘true’ person, unspoiled and unchanged from childhood, and it is like finding a unicorn. Whether or not that person simply continued to grow into the man or woman we just met, or whether they, like most of us, needed to find a way to return to the innocence, if you will, or the true person they were born, is interesting. There are so many influences on human beings as we grow from childhood into adolescence, young adulthood to mature responsibility, and we all handle them in different ways; some are adapted as we see fit, and others go by us like ships in the night, never to be considered. Career, education, marriage, and otherwise navigating the passages of life also influence choices we make, as we weigh options to decide what might be the best path to take for us, and for what we want and desire. The person simply wanting a loving family will certainly make different decisions than the person wanting to be a Magnate of Industry, as will the painter make choices that will take them in that direction, or the would-be professional athlete sacrificing time and energy into becoming the best they can in their sport. And it is all good.

What about those who have made decisions, pursued things they want, or thought they wanted, only to wake up one day to realize where they are in life has not brought them the happiness or satisfaction they thought they would have? They may have the material goods they thought would bring them happiness, or at least outwardly indicate they they are ‘successful,’ but something is missing. How did they get here, and what guiding force—good or bad—was behind the decisions they made? Were the goals true, or were they ephemeral, that is, appearances of situations or things that sent a message to anyone observing it, that this is a successful, or intelligent, or desirable person? While life-decisions can be a mix of all the above, being influenced by family, friends, work, school, and so many other factors, most go back to how we see ourselves, and how we believe we fit into the world around us. Do we feel we are intelligent enough to get into medical school and be a good doctor when we finish? Or was that someone else’s idea for us, dependant upon their view of us, and slowly we began to think it was a good idea for us as well? Or the gifted artist whose drawings and paintings are inspiring for all who see them, hears the praise for those artworks along with the idea that it will be a nice hobby in life, and not a way of making a living, somehow sneaking into the artists unconscious until she believes it herself, and chooses a different path in life…always wondering what her life would have been had she made different decisions. 

A Return to Innocence, to the true self, is based on reflection of what makes us excited, that we would do regardless, and bringing that back into our lives. It may take baby steps, like buying a new paint brush, or re-reading your old poems, and slowly reintroducing yourself and your passion, day by day, and letting your imagination take you where you need to go. Driving a bucket of golf balls at the driving range may not take you to the Masters, but if that is your passion, it will begin to reawaken that part of your soul, the one that may have long been dormant, but one that you deserve to have in your life, giving you the joy of being a part of something you love again.