We must dream our way.
-- Pablo Neruda
We have absolutely no idea what's possible, and that's a problem. This thought occurred to me one recent morning while listening to Michel Petrucciani, a most incredible jazz pianist despite being born with osteogenesis imperfecta. This disease afflicted him with brittle or "glass" bones, extremely short stature, and constant pain, particularly in his arms. His bones fractured more than a hundred times during his childhood, all movement was a struggle for him, and he was unable to walk -- i.e., carry his own weight -- until his teen years. Given an opportunity to consider what might be possible as a career for such a child, few of us would think of piano playing.
To assess the possibilities that lie within us is a daunting task at best. This is largely because we mistakenly connect possibility with our perceived capability; our attempts to determine what's possible for us are thus misguided, even arrogant. Instead of analytically assessing what we might be able to accomplish, perhaps we should turn our attention to passion. I'm not talking about emotion, but about intention, involvement, clarity and focus. Passion is something envisioned in full color and detail, something that commands our undivided attention and for which we sacrifice tremendously. Michel Petrucciani (1962-1999) became a legendary jazz pianist despite his small stature and the near constant pain in his arms not because he thought it might be possible, but because playing piano was his passion.
It's January 2014, and many of us are engaged in list-making, myself included. But this January, we can focus on embracing our passion, and we can make lists driven by what resonates in our innermost being. We can dream about who we are, about the ancestral DNA we carry, and about what we have to contribute to our community and planet. As we commit ourselves to our dreams -- not as stand-alone champions, but with intentional connection to all those who dream of life on Earth -- we will encounter what's possible. We will solve the possibility problem.
Have a Dreamy and Passionate 2014!
Copyright January 2014 by Dianne Durham
