Crossing the Line

We have all been there. You know the imaginary line between passion and obsession. Many of us have put our foot on the line, but knew better and took some very quick steps backwards. The crossing over the line, although labeled by me as going from passion to obsession, really has many variations. We could continue the line metaphor by saying some lines are solid, some are dotted, some are pass on one side, but not the other and some simply warn you to stay in the lane you're currently traveling on. The lines may be imaginary, but they sometimes seem very real.

If we are honest with ourselves, most of the time, when we did cross the line, we knew it, but did it anyway. We gave in to our irrational behavior because it "felt right" or we had the "I don't give a darn"attitude. Maybe even some of us thought, "Hey, we only live once" or"I know it's crazy, but I can't help it." Whatever our justification was, some of us crossed the line and usually, if we are really honest, lived to regret it. If we learned from crossing the line, where our personal line is, then perhaps it may have been worth it. However, what about those who cross the line and stay "over there"?

It is amazing how the line is so long and that it crosses through a myriad of topics and issues. One such topic is health. For many staying healthy and fit has become part of their lifestyle. We eat properly, exercise, try to stay away from excessive eating or drinking. Moderation is the catch phrase we live by. But then there are those that get obsessed. They are the ones that go to the gym every day, weigh themselves every day, eat Lean Cuisines for lunch and dinner, try every fad diet on Earth, see every doctor for every ill they have, have pills for every possible medical trauma that may come their way and it just goes on and on. No pun intended, but lighten up folks! Obessing over your health will not make you healthier. In fact, it will cause you extra stress which just might make you worse.

Another topic where we see line-crossers is Love. Real love is wonderful and has health benefits. Besides the "feel good" sensation of being in love, another fringe benefit is the great lovemaking that hopefully accompanies this love; this lovemaking is a great form of exercise so, if you think about, you get two great gifts for the price of one . But then there are times when the line is crossed. You become obsessed with thinking about the person. Sometimes he/she is all you can think about. You text, email and phone them. If you can, you drive by just to see if they are home. You go mad with the thought that he/she is cheating on you. Soon you come to believe that your partner is unfaithful if you don't know exactly where he/she is at all times. Or, you become obsessed with someone you never actually met. You just decide that you love this person more than life itself through a computer screen. Meeting someone on the internet is possible, and many couples have, but shouldn't that be just the beginning of the journey (getting to know someone), not the endpoint?

Third, there is religion. Having faith can be a blessed thing to many people. It inspires them, makes them feel content, safe, nourished, etc. It can create a sense of community and joy by being part of a "we". However, there is the line here too. What happens when a person becomes fanatical? The obsession can become dangerous, or at least hurtful, to others. We see fanatics blowing themselves up in the name of God, burning/torturing/killing others who believe differently than they do and just deciding their ultimate fate if they do not believe as they do. On the news today I heard about a man who was going to demonstrate outside of Heath Ledger's funeral to state that he died because he had had a lead role in a "gay" film. That is blind fanaticism. Believe what you want, sir, but must you be such a prig and demonstrate at a place where his family is coming together to mourn? Is that what you do in the name of religion?

And then there are the career line- crossers. I love my career, I am very passionate about it and I take great pride in my work. However, I have a balance. I am a mother, sister, friend, possible soon-to-be girlfriend, reader, walker/jogger/occasional workout gal and certainly I love being a writer. There are those who take their career and forget about family, friends and their pets while they quest for more money, higher status, more power and glory. Their career becomes their life and the actual definition to who they are. Their ego becomes so incredibly fragile because their career is all they have. We see these people in every type of work environment there is.

I am not judging anyone; believe me, I am far from imperfect and may have crossed the line once, or twice (or more) in my life. But what I have come to know is that without balance we lose our sense of compassion, humanity and the ability to love beyond ourselves. If that is how I define balance, then from that definition comes what I want my life to be about. I plan on staying in this lane.

However, I will happily cross the line if the definition of crossing the line changes to speaking out for an injustice. Then I will not only cross the line, but passionately and obsessively run over it.