Lessons from Frodo, Harry & Luke

During a bout of Harry Potter fever, after having viewed the concluding chapter of the series (JK Rowling is amazing!!), I found myself thinking... what is it that make the life of Harry Potter so magical, and ours...well, mine...so ordinary?  I was at my kitchen door looking out to the garden...seeing my ordinary fish pond, the palms, the grass, mango trees...and thinking to myself what a stark contrast the life I'm living compared to the exciting adventure of Frodo, Harry and Luke...chapter  after chapter -- saving the world and warding off evil and darkness. Where as my big challenge for today was to figure out what to cook for lunch.  (Oh, but just a note, that there is beauty in the mundane, and blessings in being bored...really.  I mean who wants to be pursuit by Sauron, Voldermont or Darth Vader every other day, right?)

Then, I pretend that I am 38 years old instead of 8, and try to figure out what is it about these fictional characters that uplifts me so,  to the extend that I and of course gazillion others around the world become avid fans.  Frodo, Harry & Luke have all chosen the path less taken.  They took it upon themselves to do what it right, instead of what is easy.  They all have a mission to complete.  They want to ensure the world is safe, when it would be easier just to save themselves. Isn't that the stuff that makes our hearts beat?  That's why we cheer them on.  Then, we go back to living our own "ordinary lives".  But that's just it.  We don't have to lead ordinary lives.  Azizi Ali's company slogan is "Life is too short to be ordinary".

I for one believe that everyone of us here was born with a mission to accomplish.   And God provide us with the tools we need to accomplish this mission.  We don't have magic wands, or light sabers but we certainly do have something special that nobody else have.  Some of us write beautiful songs, others have beautiful voices, some others have the charisma to influence, some are gifted with a loving heart, or athletic abilities.  And these are tools that we must use to serve the purpose we were sent on this Earth to do.  Now, isn't that exciting?  But just like Frodo, Harry and Luke, serving our purpose and completing our mission sometimes need us to follow the path less taken, and it requires stepping outside our comfort zone.  It is easier to follow the path paved with beautiful scented red roses, as opposed to the treacherous road to Mordor.  But sometimes, we have to go down to the valley before reaching the mountains of our dreams.

Today, I thank my lucky stars, as I now realised that there lies in front of me, two diverging roads:  One, is the familiar path leading to glory of cushy high paying corporate job, which is quite close to home and the other requires a long journey, no cushy benefits, but a chance to apprentice with a well-respected individual who can and is willing to help me carry out my mission (Just like Luke Sky Walker apprenticing with Obiwan or Yoda I would think).  So...do I go down an easy familiar path decked with roses, or do I go down the swamp of Dagobah to seek Yoda, who will help me defeat Lord Vader?

Yup, I now realised that living a life of magic and adventure is up to me.   Hasn't it been said that you can either see everything as if it is magic or as if it is not?  If I choose the see the magic, the magic will be shown to me.  So there I was still standing at the kitchen door, and suddenly noticing that there is a purple waterlily blooming in my fish pond, when it has not bloom for the past year.  Then, there was a loud thud under the mango tree.  My husband went to check and saw a huge ripe mango just fell from the tree, smooth and untainted by insect or squirrel bites.  So, there is magic, if we care enough to look.  And there is adventure, if we care enough to take the journey and become the real life heroes like Mother Teresa, Ghandi, Muhammad Yunus, Steve Jobs, Oprah or JK Rowling even.  I don't know about you, but I think I will put on my cape and grab my wand bright and early tomorrow, and get on with my adventure.  I hope you will choose the same.