“The Way to future”

That was Leonardo DiCaprio’s (Howard Hughes) last line in “The Aviator”. 

Hughes looks at himself in the mirror and recalls a childhood memory, when his mother finished bathing him and said: “you are not safe” Hughes replied: “when I grow up, I’m gonna fly the fastest planes ever built, make the biggest movies ever and be the richest man in the world”.

That very sentence “you are not safe” paved the path to Hughes’ future. If you watched “The Aviator” you will see that there is a story behind the story. One word could sum up the life of such a memorable persona “Fear”.  Fear of his illness, of his dark side. The story was simply about a boy who wanted to be loved and accepted with all his fears, weaknesses and insecurities.

He had the reputation for being the wealthiest man of his time, a player, a wacko and a controlling freak. Nevertheless people were not interested about how much money he made or how many women he had; people were deeply curious about the source of his genius. What were his motives for being obsessed about women and planes? How could he have such an intense passion for a complete two different things, movies and aviation?

Bizarre and ironic yet it made sense. Woman’s body was his core inspiration to create the smoothest and most perfectly curved planes in the aviation history. Movies and planes were merely venues to express his vivid imagination in escaping (or flying away) from his shadow side into a fantasy world where he finds his security.  

People are not interested about the accomplishments of such a character. They are more interested about the struggle, the journey that led to realizing those particular dreams. People want to know that they are not alone in this world; that there are also other souls somewhere else yearning for love and acceptance in spite of all their imperfections.

Don’t we all have a “Howard Hughes” inside of us? Aren't we all insecure humans looking for assurance in some way? Isn't our path already paved for us since childhood? You might answer with a no, but look in the mirror and tell us what do you see? Are your dreams a reflection of your fears?!

Justice

Today I spent most of my time with my aunt. I’ve been taking her from one physician to another, from one department of the hospital to another to run several health check-ups.  On the way back home we talked about how beautiful is Holland during spring time in comparison with other countries she’s been to.

We talked about Gardenias (white flowers with a very distinguished smell). At that moment, she recalled her dead son and how he used to bring her Gardenias back in Iraq and put them in a bowl of cold water with ice cubes to spread its nice essence in the house.

Tears started pouring from her eyes in the memory of her beloved son. I could do nothing but comfort her with words of sympathy and compassion. Although my words could not bring the dead to the living but they somehow were able lighten up her weary heart.

In a moment of silence my aunt’s life ran through my head in a flash of light, just like a movie. My dad used to say: “If I was a pope I would give that woman the title of a saint for all what she's been through and all what she did for her family”.

But guess what? That woman never enjoyed the presence of her family in her life. She lived with a paralyzed, unappreciative husband and a mentally ill son.  She spent more than 40 years of her life serving them with pure devotion and unconditional love.

She suffered Colon cancer, brain strokes, Hemiplegia and million other health disasters yet she survived and kept taking care of her family. She was forced to leave her homeland and live in another country with much lower life conditions just to save her only son from being killed back in Iraq. She lived through the difficult death of her paralyzed husband and immigrated yet to another country where she had no family and no one to help her.

Ironically enough, just by the time she thought she found rest and peace she lost her son with a tragic shocking accident.  While she saved him from death in hell she lost him on a whim in the land of peace. You must be wondering now when would that woman’s tragedy end and finally have a normal life? Or even; how is it possible that she’s still alive?!

After all what happend and yet she had almost gone through poverty till she finally was resurrected by relocating to Holland and reunite with her brothers and sisters. Now she enjoys her days, leads a healthy life and everyone is taking care of for her including people outside her family circle.

I looked at her and said: “Don’t cry auntie, the universe took away your beloved ones so that you can finally be able to live! Maybe now is the time for you to just enjoy your life”.

She kept crying and said: “But it’s not fair”

I smiled and said: “Sometimes justice can be hard but if you take your time and look carefully you’ll see it’s never unfair. It’s just that the universe has its own way of taking care of us!!”

Omens

Every human’s soul cries to find its inner peace.  Every weary heart aches for a savior, a knight in shining armor; a champ, who’s going to save our souls and free us from our mundane worries. Whether this savior is a lover, a brother, a friend or a parent, it doesn't really matter because they all are the manifestation of God’s love and protection.

Today I took my usual run to clear up my head and ease my worries; I passed along an elderly couple. They smiled gracefully to me while I was sinking in tears of worry and anxiety. The serene look on their face assured me that it all will be alright even perfect. As I greeted and passed them, I finished my round and went back. On the way back I saw them again heading towards a beautiful place where there are lots of green lands, flowers and light.

I couldn’t help but take a picture of them as they were my inspiration of the day. I took my shot and went back running. Suddenly it started pouring rain. I still had a couple of kilometers to go. The aching body, the thirst, the hard wind, and the sweat all assured me that after each struggle there’s a something beautiful waiting for me. God always answer my prayers in many ways, I just have to listen.

I ran as fast as I could, with a head up high and a huge smile on my face, forgot about the aching body, the thirst and the soaked clothes I’m wearing. People in passing cars smiling back at me, waving with thumbs up, their car lights went on and off all encouraging. I was in ecstasy!

And just around the corner, without a prior notice, I saw my knight in shining armor - well a modern type though - with his black Peugeot waving to me to get in the car. That was my brother, my savior, God’s guardian angel.

So my friend, pursue your dreams and fight for your goal, for you’ve got only one shot in this life time, only ONE! Let go of your worries and be sure, that after the struggle, the pain and the tears, Triumph is just around the corner! Just make sure you enjoy the ride :-)