Day Two: Brave New World

I awoke one day and the world was different.

When I awoke one day it was as if the whole world had changed around me. Some things were familiar such as my bed, my room, and my home but other things were so different. For decades there were many different conflicts, challenges that were all in a day’s work. It’s like the entire premise of life has changed overnight.

Long running conflicts of the past were largely resolved now. Sometimes when one has felt the same way for a long time it gets comfortable, like worn jeans. After a while it’s hard to remember how to feel any other way and such it can be with the end of conflicts.
Challenges keep us going but in many arenas of my life at least, challenges have been overcome. How does one keep track of time without deadlines that challenges bring? How can muscles grow without being stretched? It’s all different now.
Faces change over time. Whether it’s our own, your own, or the faces around you, time seldom remains stopped or still. For me, the faces I’ve seen over the last two decades have largely faded away, changed, or they no longer exist.

So I have awakened to a new world. A different life. It’s my life but it’s a different in so many ways. For the first few months all I could do was live it. Those months were difficult and a process that took me to many different places both in the world and in my mind, both light and dark. In the aftermath, I woke up one day and realized it was “Day 1”. Life has to be lived and the journey forward has been what I consider “Day 2”.

In Day 2 I’ve discovered I value some things:

I value helping others see their dreams come true.
I value seeing the potential in others, who they will be come – they may be good at what they do but one day they will be great at what they do.
I value seeing what things were, what they became, and possibilities of what they can become through a vision, drive, and hard work.
I value connecting the past to the present, through tangibles that evoke memories of pleasant times.
I value seeking my own dreams, knowing that those too can come true.

I am reminded of the lyrics to a 1980’s hit song, “Flashdance…What a Feeling” (performed by Irene Cara, music by Giorgio Moroder, lyrics by Keith Forsey and Irene Cara.)

The song was written for a scene from the film of the same name where the dancer achieves their dream and Cara & Morodor both felt it served as a metaphor for anyone achieving their dream.

First, when there’s nothing, but a slow glowing dream
That your fear seems to hide deep inside your mind
All alone, I have cried, silent tears full of pride
In a world made of steel, made of stone

Well, I hear the music, close my eyes, feel the rhythm
Wrap around, take a hold of my heart

What a feelin’, being’s believin’
I can have it all, now I’m dancing for my life
Take your passion, and make it happen
Pictures come alive, you can dance right through your life

Now I hear the music, close my eyes, I am rhythm
In a flash, it takes hold of my heart

Works Cited

Flashdance… What a Feeling. (2023, July 1). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flashdance…_What_a_Feeling

Flashdance what a feeling. Irene Cara – Flashdance What a Feeling Lyrics | Lyrics.com. (n.d.). https://www.lyrics.com/lyric/15273632/Irene+Cara/Flashdance+What+a+Feeling