Fabulous Friday: Staying in Step

Yesterday I spent some time with my friend Cynthia. I got to know Cynthia through an odd set of circumstances that are likely important only to me, and anyway aren't just my story to tell and as such--off limits. You know?

So, anyway, I was hanging with Cynthia, and she told me a few things I thought really everyone should hear... so I'm gonna share them with you. See, Cynthia and I were talking about staying in step. Knowing where you are in the world and knowing what keeps you there. You know it's like knowing that the earth is spinning around its axis at a ridiculously fast rate, and rotating around the sun at the same time, and the solar system is moving within the galaxy and the galaxy... but what keeps us clinging to the fragile crust of this little old planet? Magic? Alchemy? Gravitational force? Yes. To all of those. And yet I was really looking at something at once deeper and more profound.

What keeps us where we are in our lives? What makes us move? What sets us free and what chains us?

I have an amazing family. They love me, and they share space on this rock with me. And that eats up time and it gives meaning to my days and...well, there's a thousand was to look at what life throws you. It can all be a burden, or a blessing or a mixed bag of nuts. And the key to loving your life is staying in step. With who you are. With what your dreams are and why they matter to you or anyone else.

I have a difficult, draining family. My brother is disabled and my daughter is angry and they are utterly, perfectly themselves. And I wouldn't give them up for anything. Because they are mine. I'm rarely anywhere near perfect for them, and forget about being plain old perfect... but they are mine and I will fight to keep them, fight to make the world a better place for them, fight myself and the man and even the individual family members to make sure that each and every one of us is getting what we need. It's just that important to me.

Right, a lot of rambling today. But maybe, just maybe in the midst of my ramble you'll find a key to keep yourself in step. If you do, take it. It's yours.