About the name:
The name “Catching the Wind”
is inspired by hang gliding. Imagine the
freedom, the exhilaration of being caught by an updraft and soaring
effortlessly above a peaceful Earth. Imagine
leaving behind the familiar, being tied to nothing, seeing the world in a new
way. OK, I have never been hang
gliding. Maybe I don’t even know what
I’m talking about. It’s something I’ve
dreamed of doing, something that, until recently, was never going to
happen.
I have other dreams too. I dream of daring to be myself without
apology to anyone. I dream of a world
where each human being is valued, loved, and respected. I dream of a life of peace, love, happiness,
and fulfillment. After being diagnosed
with HIV in February 2004, I took stock of my life. I realized I never had any intention of doing
what it took to have those dreams realized.
If I was never willing to take that risk before HIV, how could I do it
now? From there, the future ahead looked
pretty bleak.
That fog has since
lifted. Today I see that HIV can
actually be a source of courage and inspiration—not for me alone but for our
whole community. Life is too short to
play for anything short of full realization of our dreams. It always was, but before my diagnosis I had
the luxury of pretending that “someday” things would be different. Thanks to HIV, I see there is no “someday”
but today.
This spring, I will go hang
gliding, and I will see our community engaged in fun and celebration. The name “Catching the Wind” signifies
stepping out, giving oneself fully to life, daring to claim a future that was
never going to happen. What is that
future for you? Come share it with us,
play with us, be celebrated. However you
may feel about it, YOU are needed and wanted.
Come out and play!!