Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Street Tar

There was sadness at the edge of town. There was no joy in Mudville. That ol' happiness can sneak through any door you didn't think you had left open. Into each of our lives, there is always sprinkled gladness and unhappiness, often not in equal amounts. Putting pieces of good fortune and trying times together is a puzzle we're all faced with. There are many crossroads. Decisions seem to be around every corner some days. Sometimes events are just thrust upon us. What to do; what to do! I got to thinking about this the other day when I learned of a modern fable of sorts. You see there was this 'cinderella boy' who took a mysterious trip from a simple, mundane life to one of great treasured destiny, almost at the snap of a finger. He looked in a mirror and said, "Is this really me? Could I really be the one?" Yes, he truly was the one; picked to be special. His friends and family all looked at him, and stated he was sincerely a very lucky guy. They all wished him well! (You probably have a pretty good idea where this tale is going. Right?) There were trials and tribulations and soon his star crashed, totally out of his control. It was a ride, though short-lived. I ran into him last week, at a local store. Though our time was brief, we caught up fast. As he was walking out of the door, into his new life, he briefly turned and said, "I'd trade my life for yours, right now, even up." His eyes were etched with sadness. You could plainly see; there were pieces of his puzzle missing. Life goes on!

17 comments:

  1. A sad story today, but I can relate to it on some level.

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  2. Failures are so personal and so painful when public.

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  3. belle histoire, tellement vrai...Quand sa bonne etoile se change en trou noir, la vie est une vraie descente en enfer

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  4. The optimist & resilient spirit in me wants to believe that there will be new & different rides for him (& for all of us) & that his eyes, after a time, when he puts some of the pieces together, will be etched with happiness: perhaps a deeper happiness than before because of the crash...

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  5. I don't believe any one of us would truly want to live any other life than the one we are living. No life is perfect.

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  6. oh, now you've peaked my curiosity. i hope whoever he is can find a new way.

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  7. At least he wasn't tarred and feathered!

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  8. We are all special, but it takes something special to notice that.

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  9. Sometimes the simple life is the best. Each of us leads a special life, even if we didn't get it at the snap of a finger.

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  10. I believe in what EG said, "No life is perfect." Wonderful post and shot.

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  11. Richard Cory

    Whenever Richard Cory went down town,
    We people on the pavement looked at him:
    He was a gentleman from sole to crown,
    Clean favored, and imperially slim.

    And he was always quietly arrayed,
    And he was always human when he talked;
    But still he fluttered pulses when he said,
    'Good-morning,' and he glittered when he walked.

    And he was rich - yes, richer than a king -
    And admirably schooled in every grace:
    In fine, we thought that he was everything
    To make us wish that we were in his place.

    So on we worked, and waited for the light,
    And went without the meat, and cursed the bread;
    And Richard Cory, one calm summer night,
    Went home and put a bullet through his head.

    Edwin Arlington Robinson

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  12. reminds me of the children's book "Tar Beach," though tar beach is on the roof instead of the street.

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  13. No one's life is perfect. But I would never trade mine for anyone's. Good post


    LA By Diana Live Magazine

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  14. No one's life is perfect as has been said and nobody's perfect either...

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  15. The grass is always greener..! Perfect image for your words today Birdman, beautifully done!

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