Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Leap of Faith







Today is Leap Day. 


An extra day that makes 366 instead of 365 this year.


An extra day of life, one might say. Nothing short of a miracle.


I'm not a religious man nor do I believe 100% in the Invisible Man In The Sky who watches whatever I do with stern disapproval. But I do believe in leaps of faith. 


I believe there are times when we are faced with tough decisions that can change the course of our lives forever. It is during these times that we must take those leaps. Fling ourselves headlong into the unknown, and hope for the best outcome. Whether the issue is love, work, or just how to live our lives in general, at one point or another we have - or will come to - points where we either take that leap, or stay right where we are, always looking with longing at the other end of whatever pass we chose not to traverse.


I've often said that we regret most the things we didn't do, rather than the things we did, because we would always be plagued with the what-ifs. So here's to the leaps of faith we have taken, and the ones we have yet to take, as we cross from life's mesas to even higher grounds.





While we're on the subject of faith, I've always enjoyed Steve Martin's work, and his turn as a traveling huckster masquerading as a religious revival preacher/ faith healer in 1992's Leap of Faith has always stayed with me as a study in transformation. That, and this song from the same film, remind me that whether we like it or not, every so often, we need changes in our lives - and often they come when we least expect them, and they don't always come easily.


So take that leap, if one is needed. As David Lloyd George said: "Don't be afraid to take a big step if one is indicated; you can't cross a chasm in two small jumps."


And as I enter into another year of my life, maybe it's time for a few more leaps of my own, too.


Bonus Lyrics:


Change in my life - Leap of Faith


Standing cold and scared on top of Blue Hill,
There came one moment when I lost my will.
I prayed for mercy, " Please, Lord take me away,
Or give me sunshine where I only see grey."
The past had a hold on me, it can't be denied,
And the changes didn't come easily.

Chorus:



I've been lonely, I've been cheated, I've been misunderstood;
I've been washed up, I've been put down, and told I'm no good.
But with you I belong, 'cause you helped me be strong.
There's a change in my life since you came along.

Oh ooh woh. Woh hohh yeahhh...


Now I don't mind working so hard every day,
And I don't pay no mind to what people say.
'Cause after all the pain I've been through,
I'd give up everything just to love only you.
All my life I've held my head bent in shame,
But now I've found you, and with you I'll remain.
Don't you know...

Chorus:


I've been lonely, I've been cheated, I've been misunderstood;
I've been washed up, I've been put down, and told I'm no good.
But with you I belong, 'cause you helped me be strong.
There's a change in my life since you came along.

Oh ooh woh. Woh hohh yeahhh...

Now a man gets crazy when his life is all wrong,
And a heart gets weary when it doesn't belong.
When the road gets rocky, Lord, you've got to keep on,
Let the new light come shining on through.

(Repeat chorus X2 and fade out)

14 comments:

  1. I was thinking of posting something almost similar to this on my way home a while ago. Tinamad lang ako. Haha. Great to read something like this from someone else. :)

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    1. Hehe thanks.

      I was actually going to do a piece on Leaping Lizards, before I realized I hated the cold-blooded, icky freaks.

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  2. hmmm. maybe leap of faith was the reason a friend of mine decided to break up with his girlfriend of five years yesterday.

    or maybe i'm looking too much into this day.

    belated happy birthday ruddie!!!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you, my fellow fish!

      As for your friend breaking up with his girlfriend of five years on Leap Day...maybe she proposed to him? And in that moment, he realized that he wanted to run into the arms of a strong, strong man instead.

      Or maybe I just need coffee.

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  3. Nagbirthday ka? Does that explain this?

    What happened to nasty Rudie? not that the mellow version isn't cool ha. Just wondering...

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    1. Somehow, I knew you'd say something like that.

      Entonces, my turn: whatever happened to emo Nyl? Not that the happy version isn't cool or anything...

      >:P

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    2. Touche. Something tells me we both know something's up. Haaay Rudie...

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  4. And it really has to be Steve Martin's Leap of Faith which I am assuming you watched on HBO.

    My big S watched Leap Year and has been prodding us to go visit Ireland. He was also saying so many things that I could not seem to figure out - either he is stubbornly British and I am American-colonizer educated OR I am just dense.

    One thing, Rudi, here's to wishing you not becoming a stalwart member of anything *4C group or whatsoever. While I have nothing against religious groups, er... (unfinished sentence)

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    Replies
    1. Meh! Me, rejoining organized religion? But I already subscribe to the Flying Spaghetti Monster, and, perhaps more appropriately for a gay man, the Cult of the Invisible Pink Unicorn.

      Seneca said that "Religion is regarded by the common people as true, by the wise as false, and by the rulers as useful."

      Considering the bellowing ambassadors of religion we currently have, spewing fire and brimstone and all that shit, I'd rather believe ancient Roman philosophers, as well as irascible TV doctors like House, who spat out that "Religion isn't the opiate of the masses, it's the placebo."

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    2. Darn it that our media is controlled and owned by the rulers. Not many get to watch House. We could have delivered ourselves away from these two-horned cross-wielders.

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  5. Replies
    1. I did have one, back when you wrote this. The fact that it's gloom and doom this week so far doesn't negate how great the previous weeks were.

      So...thanks. Hope you had a super week, too.

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  6. i love the post. :-) good one, as usual, rudeboy. I believe now, more that ever (well, this year, actually) that it is necessary to take leaps of faith if it is called for... An "unexamined" or otherwise "leap-less" life is not worth living. and no, that,'s not original.

    :-) happy belated birthday!

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    1. It's strange how you brought up Socrates' famous quote at a time when I am examining not just my life thus far, but life in general, as well. What it means to be alive, and its oft-unspoken corollary, what it means to be dead. A timely thing to ponder, given the recent departures of some individuals whose work I've admired .

      Considering that I am presently caught between Scylla and Charybdis - or Lots of Work and Depression, to the layman - I thank you, Sonia, for your lovely comment. It brought an unexpected smile to an otherwise bleak day.

      Thanks again.

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