change

paradox: change is the only constant.

kicking the bucket

Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.

No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don't want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life's change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.

Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.

- Steve Jobs

First thing that came to my mind - what a poignant speech. But it's true that all of us want to go to heaven, just not through death. Kind of a reality check perhaps. I've forgotten how it's like being around death. I'm scared to acknowledge the fact that I will pass on in another half a century hopefully, yet in my mind it just keeps circulating on this notion of death. We try to beautify death by picturing the end result - white, sandy beaches and no suffering, but have we actually seen it? Hmm.

Am I trapped by dogma? Most probably. Societal pressures suppress what Steve would call 'follow your heart and intuition'. Growing up consists of frequent 'in the future' conversations, adults hoping to conceive upon children that being a doctor, engineer or lawyer are the right paths to take. My initial ambition of being an archaeologist was passed off as silly. So much for 'follow your heart and intuition'. That being said, ambitions change, our 'heart' changes, and right now I'm just trying to know which direction I should follow.

love never fails

i find it very comforting that every time i find myself losing faith, i can find a devotional from max lucado in my email. this week has been tumultuous, not what i would have liked it to be.

this week i've found out that i have no recollection of certain people and events. i really want to know why i've forgotten things that have happened.

the Lord is my refuge, my fortress and my comfort. love never fails, but memories do.