That famous movie with Tom Hanks titled Castaway has been on my mind lately. You remember the movie, don't you? In the blink of an eye, a plane crash results in him being stranded on an island. And it is on this island that he remains FOR YEARS. And during these years, he experiences his darkest demons ... so much so that he considers taking his life.
But he doesn't. He decides not to give up. He never gives up. He copes, he survives, he laughs, he dances, he always keeps his eyes open, always keeps hope in his heart, and he continues. And this goes on not for days, not for weeks, not for months, but FOR YEARS. FOR YEARS. He never gives up FOR YEARS. And then all of a sudden he finds a broken part of a port-a-potty that washes ashore. And it is this object that he uses to create into a sail to build a sail boat that will help him conquer debilitating waves so that he can "go for it" in his most courageous and audacious attempt to find his way back to the world he loves.
There are two important lessons that this movie teaches me.
#1: No matter how wretched or dark our situations may seem, we can't give up. We can't give up. If there's one thing I know to be true, there is no reality that is perfect. No matter how perfect someone or some institution may seem to us, all people and all institutions are flawed. And when we find ourselves in the darkest moments, we have to keep going. And we have to hope that as we keep going, there may come a day when a broken part of a port-a-potty might wash ashore for us, that we can use to build a makeshift sail that can aid us in a bold move that we've prepared ourselves for.
#2: When the timing is right, we gotta use courage with our makeshift sail to "go for it" and make our move. This is a most scary lesson to ponder because taking action to invite change into our lives in hopes to travel to a higher plane takes EXTREME courage. It can be downright frightening.
{Actually, there's another third lesson. As we keep at it and never give up, it helps to find coping mechanisms — like Tom Hanks did — by keeping a box with wings unopened to keep our imaginations engaged for the hope found in the unknown, and painting a face on a ball and naming him Wilson, to keep you company during the process.}
