If playwright William Shakespeare is correct, then we are all performers. Each day we write our script – in advance with pre-planning or impromptu as we go along. Our supporting cast of friends and family complete the daily story, providing their own dialogue in reaction to our behavior and words.
Would anyone pay to see or hear what we do or say? If so, we should be chronicling our journeys, to sell them to a Hollywood movie mogul, or to Simon & Schuster for a best seller. Or perhaps we should just write secretly in our journals, or publicly in a blog like this one. Priceless memories or ho hum activities? If it makes us happy, who cares? Are we writing as prophet or to profit?
The audience cares. We ourselves are part of that audience, for other’s actions & to bear witness to our own. “To thine own self be true.” First and foremost, Shakespeare once again knows the score. We must please ourselves, be content & satisfied with each day’s performance, and we must awake to a new day to continue or change our ways. To know how to proceed, we look for reactions from deep within our souls, and from our audience, the people with whom we interact. Second to our own feelings, most vital to our future is the front row.
In the front row of our lives sit the most important people in our lives. They give our lives meaning and provide inspiration for all that we do. When the stage grows dark, and dreary, they provide hope & motivation. Twists and turns in the plot give these VIPs the opportunity to conjecture what might happen, calling out ideas to create a happy ending. We need our front row people to block out the toxic critics and naysayers. We choose them carefully, excluding those who might create chaos, throw out roadblocks, or muddy the ending.
“All’s Well That Ends Well” is a play by Shakespeare. It’s also the perfect way to think of our lives on this world stage. If we think well of ourselves and others, and act accordingly, we can sleep well, greeting the new day with a smile & serene heart. Embrace the good in this world, be good, and trust that good can triumph. We must speak honestly, act boldly, and possess only that which brings us joy. Then we might truly understand Shakespeare’s quote: “Now I will believe that there are unicorns…” And in the end, all’s well that ends well.
Moments As Memories 