Obsession II

In an earlier post, I wrote rather lightly about our word for the day, obsession. It is anything but light. Obsession is a passion. It may, however, manifest itself, in what others consider light or frivolous.

Obsession is anything but frivolous. It is for many, a reason to live. A reason to get up in the morning, to walk for miles, to take on challenges and press forward in spite of pain, fear, and other physical or mental limitations.

Obsession is "the force that through the green fuse drives the flower." Obsession is not within our control. It comes from some other place, from some hidden force within or outside of the cosmos. It is the creative spirit driving us to realize our reason for being here.

What could be more frivolous than -

A Caution To Everybody by Ogden Nash

Consider the auk;
Becoming extinct because he forgot how to fly, and could only walk.
Consider man, who may well become extinct
Because he forgot how to walk and learned how to fly before he thinked

Yet to write poetry was an obsession for Ogden Nash. I'm sure he did it every day, all day. His poems, however, light were serious stuff.

Again this canvas may seem lighthearted, however, I know it is what gives the artist a reason to live.

I often wonder what it is that keeps my father going. He's 104.  He has a few passions. Certainly he is, even now, very opinionated. However, his greatest obsession might be the rejection of anything standard. He hates doctors, for example, even though they saved his life once. He never takes medication. He loathes people with "regular" jobs, except lawyers. He loves lawyers.

My father is a maverick. He will "not go gentle into that good night." Perhaps that's my underlying obsession as well. To fight the stereotype. To be and do what is you, regardless of the opinion of others, regardless of what is expected of your sex, your age, your station in life.

Rage, rage against the conforming of the right!!