Are there some who walk among us who were meant for other worlds? Ones who just can’t understand why they have to follow the rules, make polite conversation, sit calmly by while injustices are committed- those who insist on not seeing the cup as half empty or half full, but instead question the need for a cup at all.
These beings have landed here by mistake. They have no place in the regular flow of hustle and bustle, of make a buck and be practical. They dream and question, explore and debate, generating not even so much as an ounce of practicality.
We pity them. They don’t have what it takes to get the girl, the right job, an esteemed position in society. Pour souls, lost amidst the skyscrapers and speedways.
Yet, what if it’s not they who are lost, but we? What if they have been given to us as gifts, glimpses of worlds we’ve forgotten, places in our own hearts long neglected. If only we would make room for them, give them a soapbox to stand on, and gather round, letting our logic and pragmatism melt into the pavement as our feet float gently off it.
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Today’s 4 Minute Writer
Welcome
Predictable: November 1 the Christmas decorations come out. Feburary 15 Easter bunnies hit the shelves. March 1 green dye stands at attention with St. Paddy’s Day just around the corner. July 31 school supplies flood the aisles. September 1 ghosts and goblins come out of hiding, back again for the season.
Winter, spring, summer, fall. Again, and again, and again.
It’s Sebastian’s turn to start experiencing these cycles. Today, you see, is his birthday- his real birthday, not the annual commemoration of the event.
Welcome to the world, little boy.
Here’s my advice to you: as you travel down life’s road and get into the rhythm of the cycles, do your best to shake them up a little. Give the circle a few edges, cut it loose, turn it into a trapezoid. You’ll shape more fun into your life and introduce those around you to possibilities they’d never considered.
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Lovely post today, Zoe, and what a beautiful picture. I am very close to some of these people. Their moment always comes, and they stand centre stage eventually with courage and focus which take my breath away.
Happy birth day, Sebastian
Not everyone can see the beauty in people like this. They need people who can really see them.
I enjoyed your post today, Zoe. May I recommend the book I am reading right now. It’s called “Wild Goose Chase” by Mark Batterson. Your post immediately made me think of this book, especially your piece at the end entitled “Welcome” and illustrated “Dare to be Different”. Blessings to you, Zoe…
Thanks for the book recommendation, Carol Ann. I have run across the title before- it when I was writing the post The Journey http://4minutewriter.wordpress.com/2011/01/07/the-journey/ Good to get a recommendation from soneone who’s actually reading it.
The image for the Dare to be Different post made me smile
Thank goodness for those beings, Zoë.
If Sebastian is real and you are to be part of his life, then he is indeed fortunate to be encouraged to view and question the world in a creative way
I didn’t have anyone in particular in mind when writing the piece, but we do all have those Sebastians in our lives. As adults, too, we need that kind of encouragement
Impractical? Me? I think all of us are, a little.
I am practical in lots of ways… but I am also a dreamer.
Having some of both is the key to living well on this side of reality, yet not being bound to it or by it. Thanks for coming by and for commenting.
I read this piece last year and it inspired me to write a story. You write beautifully. Thank you.
Wow, that really was a year ago now- almost to the day- that this post went up. How time flies. Thanks for letting me know that it inspired you to write a story. Will it be posted on your blog? Would love to read it!
Sure! I’ll be probably be posting it this week. I’d love for you to read it.
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