One Soulful Night

Conquering Freedom

"One Soulful Night"

A few weeks back, a good friend of mine and his wife invited me to dinner.  The dinner was a fundraiser for a non profit called The Auditory Verbal Center.  The purpose of this organization is to serve people who are hard of hearing or who are deaf at varying degrees.  With this comes many challenges in communicating with people but most importantly just the simple delight in hearing the lovely sounds we take for granted everyday.  

While I do not have any speech impediments or a loss of hearing, I became really inquisitive with this cause and the people impacted because to me it seemed pretty extreme. I mean how is it POSSIBLE to navigate life without the ability to hear? I could not begin to imagine. I've always delighted in the sounds of everything yet it again it seems like another thing I have taken for granted.  Can you picture not being able to hear the voices of your significant other, your mom or dad, your brother or sister, son or daughter, good friends, your dog, your favorite music track, movie, or sport? These are some of the things the graduates of this organization spoke about and how grateful they are for an organization which works to help them realize effective communication techniques in spite of their challenges.

 On this night as the evening grew, I learned a lot about this organization and how perseverance has been vital in navigating hearing loss challenges.  What has also been key is staying positive and remembering to serve as an ambassador for your own challenges, using your own unique circumstances to knowingly and unknowingly inspire others. To give them hope.  See no matter how you see any challenging situation you may be going through, the situation itself is just and sufficient for you, and it is a huge component necessary for edification of the heart and soul for other people.  For you or maybe someone else.  No matter what it is you ever go through you are always the perfect vessel. That's why it's you. 

On the surface, yes the night was very much about supporting those who yearn for the ability to hear and to communicate effectively but more deeply this night for me was also about the ability to listen with the soul. The soul reveals things we think are limitations and makes them perfect situations. I would have never thought the people who presented on this night were all profound deaf. They spoke so fluid and elegantly.  So embrace adversity. You're a lot stronger than you think.

Really, no one person ever asks for anything difficult or challenging to consume their lives, so never ask why me? We are all given what is most appropriate for us as vessels to change the world for the better. So do that... change the world. We all have specific jobs and specific roles to move majestically, so do that.... move majestically. You conquer freedom by embracing people for who they are and by serving them the best you can with what YOU have, so do that... serve them. Most times its not even about you.  When you change your attitude, you change your life and the life of others... so do that...change someones life. I really enjoyed this event.  Thanks to my friends O and Q.

Be well...

Vic