I’ve just come back from a few days off. It was my brother’s birthday. In between all the celebrations and general raucousness (kids often outnumbered the adults), it so happens that where he lives has many trees and it’s really quite peaceful. And that was also enjoyable because it gave me some moments to just think.
In each of our lives, so much goes on. Oftentimes we can end up being on variable versions of autopilot, going through the motions, every day. And as part of that, we can rather skim the surface of things; skim the surface of our understanding of the things we see around us, the people we meet, the activities we partake in.
These days too, technology with its presentation of little “snippets” of this and that for a few seconds, aid and abet us to skim the surface of things, flitting and flatting on social media as we flick and swipe. But where does all that lead? You get to know a little bit about everything and nothing really substantial about anything.
Coming back to my time off, having some time to think was nice. It gave me a few precious moments to consider what I needed to declutter out of my life and make more room for things that are really important. One of those really important things was exercise, for its life giving force. Now, I accept that this is a highly biased article, written by a doctor, but still. Having an increased chance to run, swim and play tennis, I realised how considerably better my body feels, the more that I’m active. It felt activated. Before becoming any more the salesman, that’s as much as I’ll say about that!
Getting back on track, last week, I had the privilege to catch up with Peter at Tyabb Airport. Peter is a plane mechanic and has been so all his life. He’s been involved with Tyabb Airport for 30 years, these days as a volunteer, often helping to restore classic aircrafts. As we walked around the airport from hanger to hanger, it hit me just how much energy an enduring passion can breathe into a life. As he swiped his hand across the ailerons of the wing of a 1943 Stearman, ailerons he had himself welded together out of scrap, I could feel how much of his entire being he had given freely, to bringing that beauty back to life. And indeed, how much his mind and body had mutually benefited from the project. That depth and purpose, that enduring passion and ultimate surrender, had spurred his life on the day I visited him and no doubt, on so many before.
Whatever stage you are at in your life, I hope you can break through the veneer of things. Dare to find depth and connection in your day, perhaps for no other reason than to experience the wonder of the sheer, raw energy it brings. Below is the video of my interview with Peter, enjoy.
