Innermost Being and Reality Uncovered

Magic today came my way as it often does via Facebook. Someone posted this quote by Joseph Campbell that really struck a chord with me - about how I am feeling these days.

"People say that what we’re all seeking is a meaning for life.... I think what we’re really seeking is an experience of being alive, so that our life experiences on the purely physical plane will have resonance within our innermost being and reality, so that we can actually feel the rapture of being alive."
-Joseph Campbell

When I read that quote this morning I had what Oprah calls an "Aha" moment. I realized that's why I love Spain so much. And, why I love to travel abroad so much. These are my realities - my life experiences that resonate with my inner being and reality! Maybe it's safe to say they are my inner passions. I think some people have these inner beings that are very strong and others don't. To have them so strongly is a blessing and a curse. The blessing is the "rapture" you feel when you live them. The curse is the strong longing, yearning, and discontentment you feel when you don't. It can be unbearable at times.

This quote really spoke to me today. I realized that that's what I'm looking for -- the experiences that resonant with my innermost being and reality. I'm trying to define that reality. Today, I saw some of that reality clearly for the first time. It's not that I'm crazy or ungrateful for the life I have -- it's me, who I am. It's my innermost being calling out to me. Now, how do I attract Spain and traveling abroad into my life this year? That's the magic I seek now.

Unexpectedly Rediscovering Your Passion

I'm writing about yesterday's magic today. This magic (after a long time from being away from here!) came during a potluck dinner we had for the ESL class I help teach. It was so fun being with all of these people from other countries, tasting their food, and getting to know them better. A couple of them told me that I was a good teacher. I realized how much I love doing this. That this is my passion. Then a memory came back to me from my childhood of a game I used to play that foreshadowed this passion. I had forgotten all about this.  Being at times a "weird kid" I used to play a game called International School with all of the dolls my grandma had brought me from her travels around the world (I also realized I must get my wanderlust from her!). I gave all the dolls authentic names from their countries that I researched in the encyclopedia and books from the library (pre-Internet!). I also came up with a "back-story" for each one - what city they were from, what their houses were like, etc. All of these "students" had come to my "international boarding school!" So, I was also normal and played with Barbies but this was my own private game.Last night when this memory came back to me I realized how those things from our childhood really are the roots of our passions but somehow get buried in the real world. I also realized that in some ways this ESL class is a manifestation of that International School game and living a passion. The magic to me was not only the good time I had last night but in that zing of electricity feeling that comes when you connect with a passion deep inside of you and you know that this is who you are and who you were meant to be!