Desire Continued - #16

Meet Dr. Hugh Francis Hicks,* a Baltimore dentist whose mother offered him a light bulb when she noticed he was bored with the toys in his crib.   In his lifetime, he filled his basement with 75,000 light bulbs, creating what he dubbed "The Mount Vernon Museum of Incandescent Lighting."

Dr. Hicks followed his desire for seventy years until he died in 2002 at the age of seventy-nine. He would advise you to:

Pay attention to anything that makes your heart sing or beat a little faster or that induces a feeling of longing - no matter how miniscule. 

Don't wait another minute to honor the desire you have been offered. Consider it a gift that needs to be opened.

That's right - don't talk yourself out of or ignore your desire or give up when the going gets tough. Don't let someone else talk you out of pursuing your desire - begin working towards it.

You may be saying - I don't have any desires. Baloney I say. Your desires may be huge or tiny - it matters that you learn how to tune into your own inner longing.  Your essence is unique and it needs its own special diet. What are you hungry for?  

Go ahead. I'm seeing a light bulb hovering over your head.

Next week - trouble in paradise.

*Michael Kimmelman's interview with Dr. Hicks is detailed in The Accidental Masterpiece, 2005. Mr. Kimmelman will be lecturing at the Des Moines Art Center on April 19, 2012.

Thanks for exploring the mystery - Nicky Mendenhall