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Sharon Connors: 'Thrive' is a standing invitation

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Each month now for probably 20 years, I pick up “Dancing Moons,” a work-of-art book that I found in Santa Fe, New Mexico, in artist Frank Howell’s gallery.

There are curated photos of his exquisite paintings, one for each month, along with three of Nancy Wood’s poems regarding the each month’s them. The theme for May is acceptance, with the caveat that we don’t have forever so why waste a precious moment worrying or angry — resisting a fact of life. It’s a waste of our astounding creative power.

It all reminds me of the times I’ve taken my life to the edge and jumped off the edge for the sake of using my creative power to live full out and stop letting all those fears stop me. No more regrets, I told myself. 

Like that day I stepped out onto the strut of the sputtering little Cessna as it painfully climbed to 15,000 feet. As my partner counted down before our leap, I looked at the colorful, checkerboard pattern of the earth below and said a prayer of surrender. 

“3,2,1 go,” he said and we jumped. I screamed at the top of my lungs as we went into free fall, face down — with the once far away earth looming closer. Then, a sudden jolt as my partner pulled the cord and the chute opened. 

All I could do then was utter unending “oooooo”s at the beauty all around me and the scintillating exhilaration and blissful peace. I want my whole life — what I have left — to be like that. I want to be awed by things and people and the power and presence of God in me and all around me today and in all my tomorrows. 

Curious, I researched skydiving planes and found an awe-inspiring YouTube of 100 senior citizens over 60 coming from all over the globe on Sunday, April 10 to break a world sky-diving record. After four practice jumps, they all boarded a huge cargo plane that climbed to 18,000 feet for the jump and then in one minute flat, while free falling, 107 people had to come together to create a lattic-work formation, connecting hands and feet.

All are experienced skydivers who were willing to put it all on the line to do something extraordinary. Take a deep breath and think about that.

Consider your life — and we never know for sure how much time we have left — and how you want to live it. Consider your power to create a beautiful, meaningful, exhilarating kind of life — now. 

There is a forever-invitation out to us to live full out, to not wait, to give up grumbling and get into gratitude. You remember the Hokey Pokey, right? The last line is what I’m talking about here: “Put your whole self in…” 

What would that look like in every area of your life? I’m looking, too.

Sharon Connors is the reverend at Unity Spiritual Center, 10101 W. Coggins, Sun City.