After the discussion of “On the Beach” and as a consequence of reading all your wonderful and thought provoking comments… I got to thinking about how precious life really is… and what it really means to be “alive” here and now.
Some of us live life to the hilt from the day we hit the planet… others take time to warm to the idea (usually somewhere around mid-life)… some wake up with the jolt of a life threatening crisis…but some live their whole life through… plodding one foot in front of the other in the daily ritual of “never fully realising their full potential”… and never really learning how to live!
I have always admired those who can hit the ground running with their ability to live life to the full! We know them by their ability to pack more into the 24 hours of each and every given day than anyone else we know. It takes courage and incredible energy to live like this… and I suspect that in many cases it is an innate gift… a state of mind or the disposition a person is born with. But I think we can all learn to do this… and we should… as life is for living… and we really should do more of it!
artwork & content Copyright Jean Burman 2007
I have always wanted to salsa… but have never found the time to learn. The fact that DH doesn’t like to dance probably has something to do with it… but hey… I’m not pointing fingers! *wink* (In reality… if I had really wanted to salsa I would have done it by now!)
We had a fun night out recently with friends. It was a hospital benefit… and I confess I didn’t know what to expect! The theme was “salsa” and the event was held in the aging Masonic Temple in downtown Cairns. On one of the hottest nights of the year in one of the oldest buildings in town, the night got off to a shaky start with the gathered crowd being offered a choice of overburdened air-conditioners or ricketty ceiling fans as the circuit board couldn’t cope with both!
After Supper the dance floor came alive to the sultry salsa beats (and the slap of the overhead fans)… as salsa devotees of all ages swamped the floor. Notable among them were Raphael and Linda… long time practitioners of the salsa… who sizzled the dancefloor with their unique uninhibited style. Raphael I am told is 78… not sure about Linda… she seems younger… but I’ve noticed when people are doing what they love to do… age seems to be a timeless (and immaterial) thing! It was a great night.
Out on the steps at the end of the night… my friend told me she had slipped the pink flyer for the salsa class into her purse… (great minds think alike!)
People sometimes say to me… “You are so lucky you can paint… I can’t even draw a banana”. My answer is always… you can do it… in fact you can do anything if you really want to (badly enough).
I’m sure we’ve all heard the lament (or even been guilty of saying it ourselves) “I’d love to write a book one day”… “fly a plane upside down”… “bungy jump off the roof”… “study french at the Sorbonne”… “sail solo (or with intelligent company) around the arctic circle” (okay well maybe not the arctic circle)… but you know what I mean.
It seems to me that all that is missing is the motivation and the intent… and the zest for living life to the hilt!
And it doesn’t have to be anything big or grand either. I was talking to my friend Dale the other day. She told me how she took herself on a leisurely car tour of the beautiful Atherton Tablelands (where she lives) visiting places of interest… just so she could charge her mobile phone! Now there’s a gal who really knows how to live!
Live life with attitude! 
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Jean…
GO FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS GIRL…
As My “Franklin Covey” planner says today; “What is cluttering my life? How can I steer my focus away from those activities, allowing time for more important ones?”
Its just like you say decide on your dreams/priorities and go for it…
.. oh yes .. If you have support/encouragement, that really helps, too…
So be encouraged from the other side of the world…
Oh Jean, you are quite the philosopher! You have said it so well.
My daughter had always danced competitively (yes, Salsa was her favorite) until she had a child. Then she decided she was too old and should slow down. The child is now 5 years, and just yesterday she told me how much she misses dancing. She decided to get a babysitter and go out with a group to a dance club and had a ball, literally dancing the night away.
It’s easy to get stuck in ruts. Even after an eye opening experience that really catches our attention, we sometimes fall back into the routine of the days and forget that “life is for living.” This is the big one! There’s only one chance in this world to make it good, and so much depends on attitude. Thanks for the nudge, Jean!
P.S. You’ll enjoy the Salsa dance lessons! We’ll be expecting a youtube.com video of your performance.
Dear Jean…..This really struck a chord with me.I am one of those who has plodded through life never really having the courage to do the things I’ve dreamed of and now in middle life,I’m finally wakening up to the idea that there are adventures to be had and not to put off doing anything tomorrow that can be done today.Life is precious and we must live it to the full as far as possible…..wish I’d realised that earlier.
Thank you for posting this Jean and making us think and …..oh yes, good luck with those salsa classes!
DOMINIC – It’s so great to hear from you! Your encouragement from the other side of the world is very much appreciated!
VERNITA – I hope your daughter keeps on dancing. Having children shouldn’t get in the way of “having a life”… but I think you would agree… it so often does! Thanks for your good thoughts! Not sure about the youtube.com performance!? After salsa… I was thinking about belly dancing! LOL
BOBBIE – the adventures are waiting… you know what they say… it’s only too late if you don’t start now! Don’t go too far away tho… it’s really nice having you here!
My greatest fear in life is to be afraid – fear of failure, fear of making a fool of myself, fear of a broken heart. But these are irrelevant when you consider that if you don’t have a “go”, you’ll never know!
I have been many places in my life and worked at many things. I have put my a…se on the line and bared it for all the world to see, the worst thing that happened….was that it ended and I felt the need to have a “go” at something else. I consider that taking risks is about believing in yourself (wether you want to learn the salsa or taking your first flight in an aeroplane) If I have something in my head that remains there and flicks into my everyday life, I know that I have to at least try.
My greatest passion has been to entertain people – make them feel happy. I have done in this in many forms; writing, directing and producing childrens plays (one was put on tour!!!) intiating and constructing a childrens festival of arts (2000 children over a period of 1 week), a guiness book of records attempt (700 children dancing the heel and toe polka!) and many other “have a go’s!” There have been the regular crowd of “hecklers” and pessimists that cannot deal with positive energy and a new concept or “fun” – they have indeed tested my resolve many times. However, when put to the test, I decided to continue because it was a dream that kept “flicking” in my head. To live life to the hilt, is to purely and simply get that fear you may have and put it in a box under the bed – why miss out on something that could bring you so much happiness?
My point EXACTLY Jools! Sounds as though you are one who hit this planet running… I salute you!
PS I hope you guys all realise that this topic has “absolutely nothing” to do with learning the salsa… and everything to do with simply “living life” as the opportunity presents? My family tell me I have this rather annoying habit of speaking in metaphors! LOL
Thanks everyone for your great comments…
simply “living life” as the opportunity presents?
OK, Jean, you again got my attention with this. From the boards you may be aware of my problems with Lupus, a blood clot, ear surgery and a broken hip requiring a hip replacement.. My kids have treated me like a child and the doctors have plied me with meds to the point I felt like a zoombie.
So I have not left my home much, but I have kept in touch with art thru the ArtCafe, doing some portrait commission from old clients.
But I was resolved to regain my health: got a treadmill, a stationary bike and an Inversion table and use them daily……. because of the exercise my life is getting back to normal. Recently I traveled to Hawaii and CA and met with John and Stella at the Getty. What a thrill!!!!!!
But I was still a “home body” until your post. I have volunteered for a “Nature Preserve” to try to save natural Florida wild flowers (I will be digging up the exotic unwanted plants) and have gone with some artist friends to hunt up out of the way nurseries that sell native Florida plants.
Thanks for getting me “out of the house”. Katherine
Oh Katherine… YOU’VE MADE MY DAY! This is so much more than I could have hoped for from this website. It was “the dream” of course… to make a difference to someone somewhere… so now you see… you’re helping to make my dream come true! Thank you.
btw I am so pleased that your health is improving and you are able to get out and do the things you love! This is only the beginning you know… keep me posted on progress okay?
These are all great thoughts, Jean. I’ve always wondered about people who say they’re “bored.” How is it possible? I figure the only people in the world who are bored, are boring people. It figures. They bore themselves.
John… there seems to be a lot of bored people. I learned the other day to my surprise that the average retirement age in Aus is 52. Now why the heck would anyone want to retire at 52? Retire and do what? They will be as bored in retirement as they were in the job they hated and had to get out of as soon as they could! When asked whether he would ever consider retirement… prominent Australian artist Robert Dickerson at age 80 replied “Retire and do what… paint?” Obviously the secret is to be doing what we love. I think artists are lucky… we have imagination… and our world can be whatever we imagine it to be! You know what they “If you can imagine it – you can do it!”
I dunno, Jean, in a lot of cases retirement means release from slavery. I have a dear friend, the father of one of my best friends, who was a Boeing engineer for many years and raised six children. He retired and began life. He travels with his wife extensively (both are in their 80’s), jogs daily, plays tennis, writes, enjoys his many grandchildren, and in terms of curiosity and intellectual activity is one of the youngest people I know.
Sorry John… I must have missed your post! “Bravo” to your friend’s father! That’s such great news that he’s out there at 80 getting on with his life! I am surprised that he didn’t enjoy his job with Boeing… I have family in the aviation industry and from what I’ve noticed over the years most in the industry have it in their blood! But I guess there’s many exceptions to every rule. Also… the work is difficult and often the hours are long and most often entails shiftwork which would wear one down over a lot of years too I would imagine. Don’t you think it’s such a buzz to meet the “young at heart”? So many people hit 50 and start the downhill slide. What a waste of the next 40 years! LOL
Getting better… not older!