For a moment, Susan wondered if her rivalry with Edie would remain friendly. But she was reminded that when it came to men ... women don’t fight fair.
An odd thing happens when we die. Our senses vanish. Taste, touch, smell, and sound become a distant memory. But our sight. Ah. Our sight expands. And we can suddenly see the world we left behind so clearly. Of course, most of what’s visible to the dead can also be seen by the living. If they only take the time to look. Yes. As I look back at the world I left behind, it’s all so clear to me. The beauty that waits to be unveiled. The mysteries that long to be uncovered. But people so rarely stop to take a look. They just keep moving. It’s a shame, really. There’s so much to see.After I died, I began to surrender the parts of myself that were no longer necessary. My desires, beliefs, ambitions, doubts, every trace of my humanity was discarded. I discovered when moving through eternity, it helps to travel lightly. In fact, I held onto only one thing. My memory. It’s astonishing to look back on the world I left behind. I remember it all, every single detail.
Yes, I remember the world. Every detail. And what I remember the most is how afraid I was. What a waste! You see, to live in fear, is not to live at all. I wish I could tell this to those I left behind, but would it do any good? Probably not. I understand now, there will always be those who face their fears ... and there will always be those who run away.
When I was alive, I maintained many different identities: lover, wife, and ultimately, victim. Yes, labels are important to the living. They dictate how people see themselves.
People, by their very nature, are always on the lookout for intruders, trying to prevent those on the outside from getting in. But there will always be those who force their way into our lives, just as there will be those we invite in. But the most troubling of all will be the ones who stand on the outside looking in, the ones we never truly get to know.
Suburbia is a battleground, an arena for all forms of domestic combat. Husbands clash with wives, parents cross swords with children, but the bloodiest battles often involve women and their mothers-in-law.
The search for power begins when we’re quite young. As children, we’re taught that the power of good triumphs over the power of evil. But as we get older, we realize that nothing is ever that simple. Traces of evil always remain ...
Competition. It means different things to different people. In Suburbia, it means keeping up with the Jones’s. But whether it’s a friendly rivalry, or a fight to the death, the end result is the same. There will be winners - and there will be losers. Of course, the trick is to know which battles to fight. You see, no victory comes without a price.
There is a widely read book that tells us everyone is a sinner. Of course, not everyone who reads this book feels guilt over the bad things that they do. In contrast, there are those who assume more than their share of the blame. There are others, who sooth their consciences with small acts of kindness. Or by telling themselves their sins were justified. Finally, there are the ones who simply vow to do better next time, and pray for forgiveness. Sometimes, their prayers are answered.
People are complicated creatures. On the one hand, able to perform great acts of charity. On the other, capable of the most underhanded forms of betrayal. It’s a constant battle that ranges within all of us, between the better angels of our nature, and the temptation of our inner demons. And sometimes the only way to ward off the darkness ... is to shine the light of compassion.
Trust is a fragile thing. Once earned, it affords us tremendous freedom. But once trust is lost, it can be impossible to recover. Of course the truth is, we never know who we can trust. Those we’re closest to can betray us. And total strangers can come to our rescue. In the end, most people decide to trust only themselves. It really is the simplest way to keep from getting burned.
We are all searching for someone. That special person who will provide us what’s missing in our lives. Someone who can offer companionship, or assistance, or security ... And sometimes if we search very hard, we can find someone who provides us with all three. Yes, we are all searching for someone. And if we can’t find them, we can only pray ... they find us.
Death is inevitable. It’s a promise made to each of us at birth. But before that promise is kept, we all hope something will happen to us. Whether it is the thrill of romance, the joy of raising a family, or the anguish of great loss. We all hope to experience something that make our lives meaningful. But the sad fact is, not all lives have meaning. Some people spend their time on this planet just sitting on the sidelines, waiting for something to happen to them, before it’s too late.
There is a look that parents of well behaved children, give to the parents of the not so well behaved. A look that says ‘You should learn to control your kids’ ... after all, they’re your responsibility. There is also a look that parents of not so well behaved children give to parents of supposedly well behaved children. It says ‘Welcome to the club.’
Suburbia is a place filled with responsible people trying to live responsible lives. Of course, even the most responsible among us, has mistakes in their past. Mistakes they’d like to forget. Mistakes that sometimes come back to haunt them. Sooner or later, the time comes when we all must become responsible adults, and learn to give up what we want, so we can chose to do what is right. Of course, a lifetime of responsibility isn’t always easy. And as the years go on, it’s a burden that can become too heavy for some to bear. But still we try to do what is best, what is good. Not only for ourselves, but for those we love. Yes, sooner or later we must all become responsible adults. No one knows this better than the young.
Most mothers will tell you their children are a gift from God. Most mothers would also tell you that the gifts their children give them are less than heavenly. But most mothers will also tell you there are some days when you wish you could return them.
It’s impossible to grasp just how powerful love is. It can sustain us through trying times or motivate us to make extraordinary sacrifices. It can force decent men to commit the darkest deeds or compel ordinary women to search for hidden truths. And long after we’re gone, love remains burned into our memories. We all search for love, but some of us, after we found it, wish we hadn’t.
Each new morning in suburbia brings with it a new set of lies. Little white lies told not to hurt, but to make life more pleasant. They tell these lies to protect themselves and their reputations. Of course, every now and then, the day arrives when someone finally decides to tell the truth. Yes, each new day in suburbia brings with it a new set of lies. The worst are the ones we tell ourselves before we fall asleep. We whisper them in the dark, telling ourselves we’re happy, or that he’s happy. That we can change or that he will change his mind. We persuade ourselves we can live with our sins or that we can live without him. Yes. Each night before we fall asleep we lie to ourselves in a desperate, desperate hope that, come morning, it will all be true.
Throughout even the most respectable of neighbourhoods, you can hear the sound of scandal. Some scandals announce themselves with a shout. Some with a whisper. And some with bang. And once in a great while, there comes a scandal so deliciously sordid, its roar drowns out all other noise. It is often said that good news travels fast, but as every housewife knows, bad news moves quite a bit faster.
Yes, everyone loves a scandal, no matter how big or small. After all, what could be more entertaining than watching the downfall of the high and mighty? What could be more amusing than the public exposure of hypocritical sinners?
Yes, everyone loves a scandal. And if for some reason, you’re not enjoying the latest one, well ... the next one is always around the corner.
We all honour heroes for different reasons. Sometimes for their daring, sometimes for their bravery, sometimes for their goodness, but mostly we honour heroes because at one point or another, we all dream of being rescued. Of course, if the right hero doesn’t come along, sometimes we just have to rescue ourselves.
Some believe people are judged by the way they live life, and others by the way they leave it.
Children come into the world with their own agendas. Some to brighten our days. Some to test our patience. Some to give us purpose. Some to take care of us. Yes, when they come children change everything. Especially when they’re not invited.
Life is a journey. One that is much better travelled with a companion by our side. Of course, that companion can be just about anyone. A neighbour on the other side of the street. Or the man on the other side of the bed. The companion can be a mother with good intentions. Or a child who’s up to no good. Still, despite our best intentions, some of us will lose our companions along the way. And then the journey becomes unbearable. You see, human beings are designed for many things, but loneliness isn’t one of them.
Spring comes every year. It’s the time when flowers start to bloom, when butterflies emerge from their cocoons, when bees begin to search for nectar. But not everyone remembers to stop and smell the flowers. Some are too busy worrying about the future or mistakes they’ve made in the past. Others are preoccupied with not getting caught or thinking of ways to catch someone else. Still, there will always be a few who remember to take a moment and appreciate what spring has given them. Just as there will always be those who prefer to sit in the dark brooding over everything they’ve lost.
Marriage is a simple concept. Basically, it’s a contract between two people. It binds them together for life in the hopes that they can live happily ever after. Sadly, some contracts were made to be broken. The vow is simple, really. Those who take it promise to stay together for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to honour and to cherish, forsaking all others, until death do us part. Yes, the vow is simple. Finding someone worthy of such a promise is the hard part. But if we can, that’s when we begin to live happily ever after.
Nothing is forever and the time comes when we all must say goodbye to the world we knew. Goodbye to everything we had taken for granted. Goodbye to those we though would never abandon us. And when these changes finally do occur, when the familiar has departed and the unfamiliar has taken its place, all any of us can really do is to say hello and welcome.
It’s an odd thing to look back on the world, to watch those I left behind. Each in her own way so brave, so determined, and so very desperate. Desperate to venture out, but afraid of what she’ll miss when she goes. Desperate to get everything she wants, even when she’s not exactly sure of what that is. Desperate for life to be perfect again, although she realizes it never really was. Desperate for a better future, if she can find a way to escape her past. I not only watch, I cheer them on, these amazing women. I hope so much they’ll find what they’re looking for. But I know not all of them will. Sadly, that’s just not the way life works. Not everyone gets a happy ending.
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