Many years ago, there used to be a television show in England called This Is Your Life. The host would surprise a celebrity; take them to a TV studio and in front of an audience read through the highlights of their life. Throughout the show, people who had played a part in this person’s life would be brought out to meet them, reminisce of the old times and provide interesting anecdotes about the person. The show always concluded with the host presenting the person with a big red book and uttering the immortal words “This is Your Life”.
My friend Jillian recently asked when her life became like a movie and this started me thinking. If our lives were to be compared with a movie, or indeed a play or a book, what would our story be? Would it be a comedy, a tragedy, a thriller, a romance or a story of inspiration, courage and triumph over adversity? In our lifetime we will get to play many different roles; child, sibling, parent, aunt or uncle, employee, grandparent, friend – the list is endless, but when the day comes that we look back on an account of our lives, what will the title of our story be?
As a fan of Shakespeare’s works, I amused myself by wondering which of his works would most accurately describe my own life. Would it be Much Ado about Nothing, which whilst once of my favourite plays, is not, I hope going to be the sum total of my life. Would it be A Comedy of Errors, which does seem to reflect a lot of how my life has been – although not always so comical. At the very least, I concluded I hoped it would be a case of All’s Well That Ends Well.....my own sort of happily ever after ending.
....”Aren’t those wonderful words to begin a story? “Once upon a time” promises something: a story of adventure and romance, a story of princesses and princes. It may include tales of courage, hope, and everlasting love. In many of these stories, nice overcomes mean and good overcomes evil. But perhaps most of all, I love it when we turn to the last page and our eyes reach the final lines and we see the enchanting words “And they lived happily ever after.”
Isn’t that what we all desire: to be the heroes and heroines of our own stories; to triumph over adversity; to experience life in all its beauty; and, in the end, to live happily ever after?
For a moment, think back about your favourite fairy tale. In that story the main character may be a princess or a peasant; she might be a mermaid or a milkmaid, a ruler or a servant. You will find one thing all have in common: they must overcome adversity.
Cinderella has to endure her wicked stepmother and evil stepsisters. She is compelled to suffer long hours of servitude and ridicule.
In “Beauty and the Beast,” Belle becomes a captive to a frightful-looking beast in order to save her father. She sacrifices her home and family, all she holds dear, to spend several months in the beast’s castle.
In the tale “Rumpelstiltskin,” a poor miller promises the king that his daughter can spin straw into gold. The king immediately sends for her and locks her in a room with a mound of straw and a spinning wheel. Later in the story she faces the danger of losing her firstborn child unless she can guess the name of the magical creature who helped her in this impossible task.
In each of these stories, Cinderella, Belle, and the miller’s daughter have to experience sadness and trial before they can reach their “happily ever after.” Think about it. Has there ever been a person who did not have to go through his or her own dark valley of temptation, trial, and sorrow?
Sandwiched between their “once upon a time” and “happily ever after,” they all had to experience great adversity. Why must all experience sadness and tragedy? Why could we not simply live in bliss and peace, each day filled with wonder, joy, and love?
Without opposition in all things, we could not discern the sweet from the bitter. Would the marathon runner feel the triumph of finishing the race had she not felt the pain of the hours of pushing against her limits? Would the pianist feel the joy of mastering an intricate sonata without the painstaking hours of practice?
In stories, as in life, adversity teaches us things we cannot learn otherwise. Adversity helps to develop a depth of character that comes in no other way. (Dieter. F. Uchtdorf – Your Own Happily Ever After)
Dead Poets Society has to be one of my all time favourite films, it is full of wonderful quotes mainly from the teacher Mr Keating, who inspires his students in the spirit of Carpe Diem, to make the most of opportunities that come their way, to step out and discover things for themselves – to seize the day!
“To quote from Whitman; Oh me! Oh life! Of the questions of these recurring; of the endless trains of the faithless... of cities filled with the foolish; what good amid these, O me, O life?" Answer. That you are here - that life exists, and identity; that the powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse. That the powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse. What will your verse be?” (Dead Poets Society)
Although we may not always have a say in what plots lie ahead in the story of our lives, we can do something about how we respond to them. We can decide what our verse, our book or our film will be and although we may not be able to choose our ending, we can decide on whether or not it is happy.
You are writing your life story now, choose your own adventure and seize the day!
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