The Greek myth of Icarus has always been fascinating. Daedalus was an inventor who made wings out of wax and gave his son Icarus a pair with strict instructions not to travel too close to the sun. In the joys of flight, Icarus did not heed his father's instructions and he flew as high as he could. The sun melted his wax wings, he fell to the sea, and he drowned.
Many perspectives can be suggested from the story - Icarus should have been more careful and listened to his father. Daedalus maybe shouldn't have given Icarus the wings at all. Perhaps the exuberance of youth is not meant to be paired with the fruits of carefully laboring and more thoughtful ancestors. What I make from it is this - we are given truths from the people, place, and body which people tell us mean something - but we must make them ourselves to understand how to rightfully use them.
People gravitate toward a meaning, a moral, or something that ties a story together. This can come from a place, family, or our biological drives but changes throughout our lives by experience. With what we are given, we can use it to implement an action toward a goal. Some actions have consequences. In many ways I have taken flight, fallen, and drowned. Now I think that I am able to fly between the ocean and sun with care to not burn up or drown.
30 years ago I was born to a lower middle class white family in Canton, Ohio. My mother was educated in social work and stayed at home to take care of 4 kids; my dad was pastor working a blue collar job on weekdays to pay the bills. Raised a Christian, my parents had instilled core values of God, family, and country. into me from a young age. My purpose was to honor my family by helping people in my country know God through my good actions.
In Stark County, Ohio there is a range of possibility - you can be in the downtown Canton or Massillon area, the affluent suburbs out of reach, or in the country where the cows and corn are. Our family had a mid-sized plot of land in what used to be a rural area. This allowed me to explore my passion for the outdoors and the beauty of nature; my early summers were spent at High Mill Swim Park (a family business which never made money) where I felt like a king and every day was a party. Being from that place made me care for the environment and respect property - and also showed me that it's the people who make a place.
Physically, I have always had small stature - and this inspired a drive to offset the negativity imposed by others. I was last picked for the basketball matches, my parents told me I couldn't play football or hockey because I "wasn't built for it," and my mom tried to console me with a bag of chicken wings after the pediatrician informed me that I would always be below average height. When people kept telling me that being short was a bad thing - I started to believe it. Girls would turn me down, people would say "you're not that short", and for some reason my opinion wasn't as respected as my taller friends'. As a response, I sublimated the negativity by exercising almost daily, learned enough to become a doctor, picked up Spanish and French, wrote poetry, and studied psychology. Being in this body has inspired me to do better.
From this family, place, and body - I went out to the world thinking I could fly as high as possible. My unbridled optimism and enthusiasm took me dangerously close to the sun...and with consequences. The Wax Wings singed and I fell into the sea of depression, student debt, and unhealthy habits. When I was in college I challenged and changed my faith, became painfully aware of the destruction of the environment and left the biological science field, ate/drank unhealthy, and botched relationships. Fortunately, unlike Icarus, I swam ashore and started making my own wings based of values I have generated from experiences.
These new values are made from something stronger than wax. I value saving lives, learning, and helping people find their purpose in their respective truth. My family is imperfect but important. Although I am short, have a crooked nose, and get sunburned easily - I am grateful for the fact that I can build muscle, move easily, and dance. Going to the hospital every day, I have the chance to care for people in their most vulnerable moments - and it's something I cherish. My goal is to deepen the meaning in my life, experience as many places cultures as possible, show love through my life's work, and help others do the same. Having these strong principles at my back, I am confident that I will be able to fly safely to the future.
This reflection can be useful for everyone - how has your place of origin, family, and the body you have/had influnced your thoughs and actions?
