You don’t get to decide your part in the school play, but you do get to decide whether or not you play it well.
-- Cynthia Copeland Lewis, Really Important Stuff My Kids Taught Me

You had little, if any, decision about whether you wanted to join those on earth. In the wee and private hours of the night or day, you can probably assume that neither of your parents even ventured to ask you up there in the vast universe of “babies to come” if you wanted to become an embryo, grow, then be thrust into the physical world. Do you remember being asked?

Well, even though they didn’t ask – or at least you don’t remember being considered – you’re here and it’s up to you how you want to live here. The way you play you part in life is elective.

You can play your part so that you are a downtrodden, oh-woe-is-me, wretched victim of life’s challenges who complains that the sunshine is too hot and misery is the only company to keep. Your lines in life’s play can include unanalyzed helplessness and unrelenting misfortune that lead to cycles of pessimism and self-condemnation. Your part can be played mean and crabby, dishonestly, defiantly, or as all of the above. But, you’ll probably be acting in that life play alone.

Or, you can act as an angel who drifts above it all, singing “Que Sera, Sera” and blowing kisses to all who pass your way. Your dramatic life performance can include syrupy speeches about loving everything and everybody even when they aren’t showing you love or regard. Your speeches may include soliloquies about lighthearted and eternally cheerful outlooks and monologic prattle that may leave your audience yawning from the sheer fuzz and fluffiness of it all. And, that’s the trouble; because people may become bored and in need of more substance, they may only stay for a little of your life play. And, remember, angel halos get sorta heavy.

Or you can simply appear as the average, everyday citizen who wakes up, goes to work, earns a day’s pay, returns home, and goes back to bed to start over again. But then, you don’t get very much joy playing out this part, nor do you rack up any rewards like helping others and making a real difference in the world. You live a life of mediocrity and monotony which, in many cases, is just as unfulfilling as acting out either of the extremes above.

Perhaps your choices lie on either side of the medium, something like assertive and realistic infused with simple optimism and good spirits. Nonetheless, it’s your stage, and while you can’t give back your part (without committing tragic ends), you get to choose what that part looks like. Choose wisely; your part on earth is not in vain.

Sadiqqa © 2007