In some strange sense, we are more whole when we are missing something. The man
who has everything is in some ways a poor man. He will never know what it feels
like to yearn, to hope, to nourish his soul with the dream of something better.
He will never know the experience of having someone who loves him give him something he has always wanted and never had.
There is a wholeness about the person who has come to terms with his limitations, who has been brave enough to let go of his unrealistic dreams and not feel like a failure for doing so. There is a wholeness about the man or woman who has learned that he or she is strong enough to go through a tragedy and survive, who knows there are times he or she can't be strong, and have someone to lean on.
When we accept that imperfection is part of being human, and when we can continue rolling through life and appreciating it, we will have achieved a wholeness that others can only aspire for.
In the end, if we are brave enough to love, strong enough to forgive, generous
enough to rejoice in another's happiness, and wise enough to know that there
is enough love to go around for us all, then we can achieve a fulfillment that no other living creature will ever know. While it takes courage to achieve greatness, it takes more courage to find fulfillment in being ordinary. We are on individual quests for whatever is satisfying in life.
Every now and then, those quests produce quite a surprise. For the joys that
last have little relation to achievement. The sun rises and sets in glorious
color over every square inch of the earth, in full view of every living creature. You don't have to jump higher than anyone else to see it.
What is the adventure in being ordinary? It is daring to love just for the
sheer pleasure of giving it away. It is venturing to give new life to existing
relationships and to nurture them to maturity. It is working hard for the
pure joy of being tired but fulfilled at the end of the day. It is caring
and sharing and giving and loving, because we trust our ordinary lives in
the hands of an extraordinary God.
There are no Oscars or medals awarded for any of these pursuits. But then, no piece of gold or bronze statuette can sum up their worth.
by Shel Silverstein