9-Oct-00
Several years ago my brother, Peter, took a trip to Ireland. Upon his return, the souvenir gift he gave me was a rune. Without getting into a long, descriptive history of runes-- which i am definitely in no postition to do-- i will tell you it's like a charm. There are countless different runes, each representing a different trait such as fertility, clarity etc. This one was a "winter" rune which my brother bought since my birthday falls in the winter. But the rune also came with a brief history and this one, more specifically, was geared to "ward off ill humors". A funny coincidence, i thought, for a comic, (or at least someone who thought he was). At any rate, i treasured this charm and wore it always, and regardless of whether there is any power in runes, there is power in one's own soul, and this rune reminded me of that.
Then one day i gave it to a friend. Being without a rune, i bought a new one-- this one for strength--something i felt i lacked then and still do at times i suppose. Anyway, before i got too comfortable with this one, i was given a different necklace. A grain of rice with the word "passion" written on it, encapsulated in liquid, so i switched...and then i switched back. I guess i was alternating between times i felt i lacked passion and times i believed i lacked strength...i guess i thought they were at different ends of the spectrum. But, as usual, i was wrong.
I see now that passion is strength. I know i've said it before but passion truly is the most beautiful word in the english language. Things we are truly passionate about give us the strength to do anything. Think of something you are truly passionate about. Now think of the things you have done for this person, this cause, this belief. I'm sure many of these things required a great deal of strength.
Maybe this is another one of those entries for me. As sometimes i sit back and wonder why there are times i haven't had the strength to be somewhere else, be someone else, do something else...and then i hear myself talk about the things i am doing here, now and like the way i sound. Then i listen to others speak of something completely different with the same passion, the same strength in their convictions. And i see that if you follow your passions you will always find your strength regardless of where it leads you...or doesn't..
So i'm putting the strength rune aside for now as i see now i can always find all the strength i need in a tiny grain of "passion."
Oh, i still have the original rune my brother gave me, but i can fend off the "ill humors" myself now, i guess i needed it before i realized that they only come from within...
xoxo
.....-g