"The Keep-Your-Head-Above-Water Club"
Spiritual Maintenance for Men
by Greg Burns
We would never expect our cars to work properly if we drove 230,000 miles between oil changes but somehow we assume our spirits are self-sufficient. Taking time to maintain our spirits would go a long way to energizing our lives. The job, the kids, the car, the lawn - sometimes it feels like everything gets more attention than your own spirit, yet nothing is more central than your soul. How do you maintain your spiritual life when you’re barely keeping your head above water?
As a parent of a child with a disability I can say that I’m part of the KYHAW (Keep-Your-Head-Above-Water Club). There have been several events in my life that have taken me to the end of myself. No surprise there, everyone is going to have their share of personal “911” days. What can you do to keep your heart intact? Here are some things that have worked for me that I would like to share. As you read this list please keep a grain of salt handy; these may or may not apply to you, mileage may vary etc, etc.
I have a hero gallery (in the museum of my mind) of men I personally hold in high regard. By the way, none of them are sports heroes and almost all of them have led ordinary lives but have demonstrated incredible courage through challenging times. When I’m having a bad day I think of these men and they inspire me.
Okay there’s simply no way to get around this one. Call it spirituality or “old time” religion, it may behoove you to connect with a Higher Power. Long story short, your heavenly Father wants you to know that He absolutely loves you. Hard to believe sometimes, especially when you’re slogging through the swamps of your life. But He does, trust me. Better yet, trust Him.
Get off your butt and get physical. Bike, golf, fish, run, walk, crawl, whatever! There is some connection between keeping active and keeping spiritually vibrant, I’m not sure why, but there is. Butt on couch = spiritual slug.
Who or What Are You Listening Too?
I take a lot of my spiritual “mojo” from music and poetry. Doesn’t sound manly? Well here’s a poem that could speak to a lot of men, it’s called Invictus by William Ernest Henley. Until next time, to all my brothers in the Keep-Your-Head-Above-Water Club, please remember to keep your heart above water too.
Invictus
William Ernest Henley
1849-1903
Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate,
I am the captain of my soul.
Greg Burns is a “writer/artist/speaker/medicine man” from the jungles of Kirkland, Washington. He has three daughters - Camryn, McKenna, Chloe, and one lovely wife - Cary. He has appeared as a corporate speaker and a voice-over talent for television. He is a graduate of the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena and a long time member of the Washington State Fathers Network. Says Greg, “I love these guys, they always inspire me.”
