A Soul's Legacy of Love

In honor of the third anniversary of the passing of Paul Walker, I'm reposting this!! I woke up this morning to the news that Furious 7, the latest in the Fast and Furious movie franchise, had topped 1.15 billion in ticket sales.  It has had the #1 spot at the box office for three weeks running and it is now the seventh biggest earning movie of all time.  An amazing feat that some are calling the legacy of Paul Walker.

My first for today is that I am going to find my voice [something that has taken me a long time to do] and go up against some folks who are stating that Paul Walker's legacy is that he left this world by having a billion dollar movie.  I know it definitely is part of his legacy, but as I have stated in a previous blog post, the legacy goes beyond so much more than that.

Over the weekend I had an awesome girl's day with a soul sister of mine.  She excitedly asked me how my trip to LA went for the Furious 7 premier (reference Blog Post from 4/9).  Can I tell you how nice that was?  Someone made a point to ask me about one of the highlights of my year.  Heidi, a hug to you for putting that out there.  Again, I cannot tell you how much that meant to me.

I was asked to describe the feeling of being at the movie premier.  This lead me to writing this blog post.  The question brought me back to what I was feeling on that exact night.  While I was standing amongst so many people from so many walks of life, I realized that what Paul Walker's legacy exemplified was sitting right there in that theater on this warm April night.

On April 1st hundreds of people gathered to celebrate not only the release of his last film, but also to celebrate the person that Paul was.  I won't pretend to know him because I had never met him before his untimely death.  To be honest, before his passing, I had never seen any of his films or been familiar with him as an actor.  I am now getting a really good picture of what he truly must have been like upon meeting some folks who were in his "circle".

For that one night, I felt like all was right with the world.  All was right with the world because I felt such true and utter love.  I felt and saw what his family meant to him and what he meant to his family.  His family was not just biological but situational.  His friends and his fans all gathered together in one spot.  All the love poured out and for one night everyone focused their love on one thing - Paul.  How cool that so much energy was so big in one place.  I saw the effects of what everyone focusing love, instead of say hate or anger, had on a crowd and had on the world.

Getting back to that amazing billion dollar mark, here are my thoughts.  I think that for this small moment in time, people around the world are clamoring to get that same great feeling that I did that night in Hollywood.  I see folks leave the movie theater (having seen it again just this past weekend) with a look on their faces of pure and utter love.  Everyone is leaving the theater in a peaceful, yet emotional state.  Perhaps it is giving them all the impetus to reach out and share their love with someone else.  We never know when our time, or that of a loved one, will come to an end.

So, in closing, Paul, I think that your legacy reaches more than just the box office numbers.  I truly believe that your legacy is one of joining the world together no matter what their race, ethnic, financial, gender or any other group may be.  No matter where someone comes from, you have proven that we can all get along together as long as you throw in that component of love.

Until my next adventure,

P.A. Walker

P.S.  Not to diminish other parts of Paul's legacy, please check out his great work with his charity Reach Out Worldwide (www.roww.org).

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxU4kDmRzIw[/embed]

Not So Fast and Not So Furious

I did it! I went to race car school. It’s been on my bucket list for years now and I finally made it happen.  I attended a class and training at Exotics Racing in Las Vegas. The staff was amazing and my experience was beyond awesome. I left the track that day saying that was one of the coolest things I have ever done in my whole life. It truly made me feel really alive.

After sitting in a class on technique and going around the track once to get some instructions from a seasoned professional, I was given the keys and allowed behind the wheel. For this adventure, I chose to go out in a Porsche Cayman.   Although it was referred to by some of the drivers at Exotics as the "go-cart", I was still thrilled to be able to get out and make some turns.

My instructor hailed from the U.K. and was a very patient man. He must have had nerves of steel. He instructed me all the way around the track five times.  I slowed way down going around the curves, but finally got up the gumption to turn on the speed towards the end of my session.  When I reviewed the video of my laps, I burst out laughing because I looked like I was slowing down to get a parking spot at the mall.  When I had originally heard that I was "only" going five laps, I thought to myself that that would not be enough.  It turned out I was very wrong.  It requires a lot of hard work and muscles to do even one lap.

As I left the vehicle, I was feeling like I hadn’t had the thrill of the speed. I realized that I had let fear hold me back and now I had regrets that I just didn't let it fly.  To satisfy my as of yet unmet need for speed, I decided it was time to take a few laps with the Professional Race Car driver. His name was Rudy and his credits included being one of the drivers in the first Fast and Furious movie. I thought I would be completely nervous going into this adventure, but the opposite was true. I had such a feeling of calm come over me that Rudy could see I wasn’t scared at all. In fact, I think he took this as a challenge and turned up the heat. During our last lap, we completely fish tailed and swung around. I still wasn’t freaked out. Sorry Rudy, you can’t scare this old gal!  I have made a vow to go back and do this again very soon.  This time I will drive the Lamborghini.

After completing this adventure, I truly left the track on such a high.  I also vowed that I would not continue to hold back because of fear.  I would put myself out there and feel the fear and do it anyway!

“If everything seems under control, you're not going fast enough.” ― Mario Andretti

Until my next adventure,

P.A. Walker

Stuff Can't Fill the Heart

After unpacking loads of boxes during my recent remodel and move, it became very apparent that we just have too much “stuff”. What do I need all this stuff for? Why does my son need all these toys?? Why do I need closets and boxes full of clothes?  What kind of habits am I setting him up for as he gets older? After a family discussion, it was decided that for my son’s birthday this year, we would set up a donation page for one of our favorite charities Reach Out Worldwide (www.roww.org). My son surprisingly agreed to do this and as a result, his friends (or at least the moms) thought it was a great idea.  He got over $100 in donations for this great charity. He was excited to watch the total grow and I heard him telling his friends how he chose to do this and what the charity does.  I was overcome with that proud Momma moment.  I was glad to see that he hadn't tipped too far in the other direction!   Not once did he focus on not getting new toys or gifts but instead was very intent on watching the video on their website to learn more about this organization and where his raised donations would be put to use!

After seeing my son's selfless act, I decided that it was time for me to do the same and give to others. To be honest, I have had it pretty darn good thus far in life.  I have never wanted for much.  I have only ever wanted for the things that I thought I needed, to satisfy some ideal that I thought was important.  The American Dream - the house, the car, the 1.5 kids.  Funny what society throws at us and tells us that we need to uphold.

This year has been one of the very first where I have gotten myself into a new way of thinking.  Instead of worrying so much about what others think, I have, for the first time in my life, only worried about what I think.  It's been hard and it is still a work in progress, but I am gaining some ground.  It's been surprising how good it feels to give to others.  I heard a quote once that really spoke to this:

"When you put good will out there, it's amazing what can be accomplished." - Paul Walker, Reach Out Worldwide Founder

Paul was a great example of someone who could have given into the charms of Hollywood fame and it's perks, but he instead chose to turn that around and help out those in need.  After his untimely death, other family members stepped in to make sure that his legacy was upheld.  Again, another example of putting others first.

My lesson in all of this is that the time for me has come to turn my life from one of just being and doing to one of self-care and looking out for my fellow human beings.  I keep going back to the notion that we are role models for our children.  Simple as that!

As Always, P.A. Walker

In honor of Paul and his charity, please consider donating to Reach Out Worldwide.  For more information on what this charity is all about, head over to www.roww.org.