Remember when you were young and everything was…perfect?
Ugh. The word stings both tongues and ears.
Perfect…ha.
There’s no such thing as “perfect.”
It’s an idea, infectious and taunting.
It poisons the mind, dampens the soul.
We’re not living in some fairy-tale kingdom
With blonde-waved beauties
(she dyed it)
Rescued by jacked princes
(he takes steroids)
With a château on the water
(it’s been foreclosed).
But wouldn’t that just be perfect!
Instead of…what is this?!
Oh, yeah.
Remember that favorite cereal when you were a kid?
“Life is full of surprises.”
Or what about that board game where everything ends
HAPPILY-EVER-AFTER EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.
Good ole life.
Capital L, I F Everything, right?
Right?
Yeah, no.
Remember finding out Santa Claus isn’t real?
(spoiler alert)
The devastation that your beliefs were wrong?
I know, it sucks.
Shit happens.
Always has, always will.
But this is where the camera spins and we interview the director.
“Mr. Director Sir, why does shit happen?”
“Because it does,” he responds.
What a pretentious little—
Swing the camera back to the actors:
Poor, insolent creatures!
The script calls for such tragedy…
Such hardships…
Such…such—
I can’t continue.
They’re in too much pain.
Everything is out of control and nothing’s making sense any—
Oh, Mylanta.
Is that…is that you I see?!
Golly gee, I didn’t know you were an actor!
“Hey, Mr. Director, you gotta see this! You—”
But he’s gone.
All there is, there was, but all there was, there isn’t.
Am I crazy?
Zoom out to see all the world’s a stage.
That’s one hell of a budget!
“Mr. Director, where did you find the money to—”
Oh, yeah.
Mr. Director’s gone. Sad face.
It’s just me and History chilling at this filming for some…
Made-for-TV movie on Lifetime.
(See what I did there?)
Lights!
Camera!
WWWAAAAAAIIIIIIITTTTT!!!!!
We have the actors
(they’re called Homo sapiens)
And the crew
(that’s the earth),
But where’s Big D?
“Right here.”
A resounding boom.
From nowhere.
It’s always from nowhere.
But it’s coming from everywhere.
Remember when the teacher took attendance
And you had to state your presence?
Well, Big D’s here, but I don’t know what his name—
God.
Fate.
Choice.
Chance.
Luck.
Purpose.
Determination.
Destiny.
Passion.
Drive.
Whatever! I get it!
The director is whatever you want it to be.
This is your life, isn’t it?
So, why aren’t you living a perfect
(gah, the “p” word again)
Happily-ever-after-kinda-cliché?
After all, every prince and princess gets EVERYTHING they want, right?
Strange.
I remember differently.
I recall a darker story,
One of trying times and dramatic battles
(both real and metaphorical)
Just so they could GET what they WANT.
It wasn’t just
“La-de-da-POOF! HERE’S YOUR HAPPINESS!”
What, are you five?
Sweetheart, it’s not as easy as that.
Life adds stones to your body and mind,
So you need to find the wings to fly.
And the lower, deeper, farther still you fall…
Well, you’re going to soar ever higher.
To infinity.
And beyond.
To the stars!
But a star is only half as bright as a smile.
Remember that.
Your smile can light up the sky—
If not yours, then someone else’s.
Your heart is beating for a reason.
Ba boom. Ba boom. Ba boom. Ba boom.
“And caaaan you feeeel the loooove toniiiiight—”
Can you feel it?
Do you understand?
You are so loved.
Whether you know it or not, you are.
Yes, things happen.
Yes, it’s difficult.
No, we don’t always have answers.
But that’s the beauty of it all.
Look how far you have come.
See what you have triumphed.
Things can be taken from you—
Your hope.
Your faith.
Your dreams.
Your friends.
Your love.
But…your life?
You don’t just stop.
This isn’t Super Nintendo with a Reset button.
But it’s also not Mario with just one chance.
While that heart beats, you live infinitely.
Shit happens…so what?
Start again.
Live anew.
Don’t give up—the world is your oyster.
Your stage.
This is your life and it’s beginning one day at a time.
The script doesn’t call for a one-man show.
The director
(what do you call Big D?)
Doesn’t yell “cut” at every messed-up line or accidental blocking.
The ink of your life cannot be erased.
But that doesn’t mean it soaks the parchment.
Flip the page and start fresh.
Scene 2, Take 1.
Starring: You.
Show this world who you are.
Tell them why you are strong.
I know you are, or else you wouldn’t be here today.
Listen to your heart and hear it beat in time with mine.
Piano keys were never so sweet as the day you entered my life.
So, where do we leave off?
“Once upon a time…”
And you fill in the rest.
You don’t have a happily-ever-after because it’s not over yet.
Big D wants a show.
Make this one to never forget.
Break a leg.