Love
What Is
“Sometimes
the things I've wanted and worked for, if I actually received them,
would have crushed me.”
Mark
Nepo (The Book of Awakening)
Just
about every little boy or girl dreams of being famous someday. As
children, we think that being a movie star, or a major-league player,
is the most exotic and fabulous thing that could ever happen to us.
We groom ourselves for the limelight; we practice and rehearse our
lines. In my own pre-teen years, my friends and I put on shows for
the neighborhood. We did skits, sang popular songs and performed
stunts. We bathed in the applause of our kind and familiar audience,
knowing we were destined for greatness.
Nowadays,
when I see a child star, I pray for them; I ask God to protect them
from the blows that fame brings. I think of kids like Judy Garland,
Drew Barrymore, Lindsay Lohan, Michael Jackson, who shot like comets
to the top and came down with equal velocity. Fame crushed them, and
made it almost impossible for them to have a normal life. Lord knows
what will become of poor Honey Boo Boo and all the other little girls
whose childhood is being stolen by forced competition in beauty
pageants.
Most
of us, blessedly, don't get what we yearn for as children. Instead,
life unfolds in the way that is best suited for us to become who we
are. Not that we shouldn't strive to fulfill our dreams, but when we
find ourselves falling short of what we aimed for, life is not over.
We can pick ourselves up and try another path, one more in tune with
our abilities and strengths.
We
are born with an inner template of who we are meant to be, what role
we are destined to play in the world of humanity. To the extent that
we embrace that role with gratitude, our days on earth will be
satisfying even if they are not glamorous. Learning to give thanks
for what is, rather than pining for what is not, leads to a
prosperous and fulfilling life.
In
the spirit,
Jane
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