Who am I, who are you?

“A great fire burns within me,
but no one stops to warm themselves at it,
and passers-by only see a wisp of smoke.”

— VINCENT VAN GOGH

When it is late at night and everyone is fast asleep,
and it’s just you,
and perhaps the dog curled at your feet,
who are you?

Not:
what is your name
your profession
your salary.

Not:
The size of your house,
the contents inside,
the thickness of your wallet.
Where you went on vacation.

These,
they will never amount to shit.
It’s why you always thirst for:
more
More
MORE

What are your dreams, desires,
that void you must fill daily within your being
to ward off dread —
the sadness, loneliness?

Do you know or have you forgotten?

What is it that rests underneath the surface?

Is there anything?

It does not have to be some great accomplishment.

It does not have to be an offering to the masses;
it can be an offering only to you —
a gift to you, from you.

Remove from the equation the pressures,
any need for recognition.

What is it you would still do (or want to do)
if you felt no pressure
internally or externally, to do it,
knowing you would not receive any recognition whatsoever,
only the pleasure from within
that you, in fact, did it?

Think back to when you were a kid:
the kid within you knows the answer.

Write it down and look at your words
every night before you go to sleep
and every morning when you rise from bed.

Then:
turn words into actions

This is the fire burning within you
that asks for oxygen in order to breathe.

Do not let the fire burn low.

Do not snuff out the small flame.

Let it blaze.

Let it grow, consume you.

When no one else is awake to see it…

This is who I am.

This is who you are.