Sunday, November 8, 2009

Inspiration: The Boy Whose Skin Fell Off


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Today Adventures in Voluntary Simplicity inaugurates a series of posts dedicated to people, places and things that have inspired me to embrace simple living/voluntary simplicity. I hope the subject of these posts help you on your own journey towards a more meaningful, more authentic, and more sustainable way of living.

And what better way to start things off than with Jonny Kennedy.

The Boy Whose Skin Fell Off: Jonny Kennedy
There are so many wonderful things to love about Jonny. First, it is obvious that Jonny was an incredibly charismatic individual. Whether he is joking about how he will fit in his coffin, or flirting with a British model by playing up his illness, the man definitely had a “presence” that cannot be denied.

Second, Jonny, unlike most of us, chose to live his life on his own terms. His illness gave him a perspective that few of us ever internalize: the ability to appreciate what trully matters in life. Gone is getting pissed because traffic is backed up; saving up to buy that new Prada bag; working like a dog just to get that promotion; etc...Nope. Even as Jonny's world was dominated by constant, never-ending pain, he understood that the most meaningful things in life are as simple as learning to fly a plane for the very first time.

Jonny 1


Jonny 2


Jonny 3


Jonny 4


Jonny 5

7 comments:

Heather's Moving Castle said...

At first I was skeptical about this post, but as usual you know how to hone in on the truth. Thanks for a really much needed cry and some inspiration! ~Heather

Fonk said...

Wow, powerful stuff.

Natja's Natterings said...

I saw this years ago when it first aired and I can still remember him vividly. You are right, he was a special guy.

dtb said...

I was just saying last night how it had been a while since I last cried. Now it hasn't any more.

Confessions of a Mother, Lawyer & Crazy Woman said...

Powerful.

Jack said...

@Heather,

NO problem. For me, he was always a wonderful inspiration.

@Fonk,

Definitely.

@Natja,

It was one of those things that you could never turn off. You just had to watch the whole thing.

Jack said...

@dtb,

Yeah, there was some of that when I first saw it.

@Confessions,

No doubt.