Roles

This, regrettably, is going to be rushed.  I have had a long night, my knees and shins are aching, and my boyfriend, bless his heart, is crawling, exhausted, into bed.  I, for once, would like to join him and hold him tight before our eyes close.

I wanted to post this tonight, though, despite being beat, and a little bit uncertain as to exactly what will come out, because today has been one of those rare days in which life grants you vision.  Not clarity, per-say, nor a view of what should be or could be, but simply, eyes open enough to see more than one angle.  You see, we all have roles in our lives, many that we are conscious of, and a few now and then, that evade us.  Not because we are stupid, or slow, or because anyone is really better at looking than we are, but simply because there are too may angles for any one person to see consistently (unless he or she is perhaps in a constant state of meditation and detached reflection, but even then, I'm sure the cosmos would be glad to sneak something in, unseen).  The bottom line is, we rarely take the time and cultivate the peace of mind to stop long enough to consider that the people we encounter day to day are juggling far more than we grant them credit for at face value.  

Our friends, our co-workers, and the people we hold dear; we are so quick to dismiss their free-time as we plan ours, and as a result, forget to look for the things that genuinely matter in between their lines.  The boss, who may seem distant at work, preoccupied, goes home to juggle wife and kids, and would probably not know what to do beyond cry for joy at the opportunity to have 45 minutes alone.  The dear friend, who presses on through adversity and financial difficulty and loses touch with dreams because money doesn't allow time to cultivate progress, to cultivate new employment, to cultivate dreams, to cultivate more money.  Lovers, who love, but can't touch, because life gets (so often) in the way.  Co-workers who work full days, and come home in the evening, not to rest and take care of themselves, but to work again, tirelessly, at another job, another life (for their own personal pursuits, or even just to make ends meet), all without much mention to anyone else during the day.  We take these things for granted in everyone else...and no wonder!  Look at how busy we are juggling ourselves!

So tonight, or tomorrow, for those of you who have already gone to bed, and are lying in wait for another busy day, please take just a moment to think of the people in your life and the roles they might play.  Don't just envision the masks that they wear for the stage you share with them, but consider the credits of the other Playbills their names grace, and perhaps you will find new insight into their actions and just which roles, for them, might hold the most weight.  I know I did.

Goodnight.