Something That Touched My Heart...

Remember the movie "Into the Wild"...the story about the man who gave up everything he owned to pursue the one dream in his life to live in the wilderness of Alaska. Of course you do, we watched the movie together...and though we shared similar views about the story we varied our opinions on the ending. On one hand he did accomplish the very thing his heart desired, refusing to conform himself to the daily rules that dictate are lives. On the other hand he paid the ultimate price, and died alone without ever sharing the beauty he had witnessed.
Today my heart sank a little when I was reading my morning MMA (mixed martial arts) news. There was a report that former UFC champion Evan Tanner (37) had died. This name means nothing to you...and in terms of my favorite fighters, means little to me, but he was more than just another fighter. He had been at the pinnacle of his profession achieving fame and fortune, slightly before I became so enamored with the sport. He battled depression and alcoholism daily in his life, and gave up the sport he loved in search of spiritual fulfillment. He battled his demons daily and would post blogs about his life, and became more of a philosopher than a fighter. He managed to find healing in sharing his words. The thought of helping others through his own turmoil inspired him enough to start training again. He returned to the octagon and fought only two fights, losing both. He would never get another opportunity to fight in the sport again. The last fight he would ever fight was for his life, and it took place in the vast Southern California desert. He posted a blog letting all his friends and family know he was setting out for an adventure that would take him deep into the desert with only the camping gear on his back and the tank of gas in his bike. He reported he was in a good place in his life, and this would be a spiritual journey for him that he very much looked forward to. Worried friends would email or text him their concerns about going alone on this journey, and jokingly he replied he would be back as long as his equipment didn't fail him. He even posted he was not going out there to die like the story "Into the Willd." He left for his journey and never returned. Reports now confirm they have found his body, dead at the age of 37. I don't know what attached me to this story, but it has been on my mind all day, and for me to type an email of this length speaks volumes about the impact. I honestly believe we should all be so lucky not to die alone, but to live free. We often spend all our time worrying about trivial things: jobs, cars, houses, and of course money. It consumes people, and they breed it into their kids. A never ending habitual cycle that totally misses the very point of our existence. We get one chance to make the most out of life, and it should never be spent with regrets. I may have certain regrets in my life (education, occupation), but I'll never regret the decisions I've made in marriage and family. The whole point behind this letter is to simply tell you I love you and the kids with all my heart, and we owe it to ourselves to live life to the very fullest just like Evan.
Love always,
Rocky (Husband and Father)

True Words from a true man:
It is a shame that in this society we've been taught to judge a man's worth by what he owns instead of who he is. Everything is surface, and so few look beyond it. A man will sell his soul, he will lie, cheat, and steal, for money. If he has it, he can buy respect. Wear the right clothes, drive the right car, have the right friends, that's all that matters. Our lives are consumed in a selfish, self absorbed quest for possessions, the latest and the best in a never-ending cycle until the day we die. We forget what it means to be truly human. We forget the things that really matter. We lose the magic of what life should be. I won't live by rules that make no sense to me.
-Evan Tanner