Painful memories! There are so many if you look for them. When you were laughed at, cast aside, the one in the story who plays the part of the buffoon. The unloved one. But, for every one of those, there are ones that don’t come to mind. Where you were aces! The best! And you might have left them out of your data bank completely when it comes to recollect. Because you’ve trained your mind to remember the bad. So, if the painful memory of the unloved days return, perhaps pretend you are an actor. A great actor! The best! And those were simply roles you played! When you collect your Oscars, somebody says to you, “I loved you in that role where everyone hated you. I could feel your pain.” And, you smile back, and say, “Beat it, kid. I’m a star!” No! Maybe not that. You say, “Thanks, I appreciate it,” and give a pat on the back. Because, really, weren’t they just roles you’ve played? When all is said and done? And a great actor leaves the role behind to prepare for the next one. And you are doing the same! Those roles comprise a body of work. You feel yourself lift as you let go of all that pain. And, as a great actor, you’ve played the worst of the worst, and the best of the best! Don’t forget that! You’ve played ‘em all, worn every coat, donned every mask. You can relate and have empathy from your heart for that poor old soul who doesn’t have a friend in the world. No matter how far you get. The one where it’s unanimous, everyone agrees doesn’t deserve an ounce of sympathy. Because, even if fewer now see that person in you, there is a gentle tug inside. You can relate to that one who is deepest in the blues. You know you’re no better, everyone has a role in the play. And those roles change. Perhaps if life had turned a different way, you wouldn’t be so grateful to be where you are today. And today is yours! You can breathe it all away. Everything’s new. There’s a new sun shining today! And you carry a compassion, a gentleness, no matter what gusting winds are blowing. One that goes against the grain. It looks for the love, it feels from the heart, no matter what person defamed. And that is something noticed, even if not by the current thought. It’s the most majestic quality of all. If you meditate on it, you know it’s noticed, it’s felt. In the atmosphere. A greater energy that runs the show, that pumps your blood, that digests your food, that breathes each breath, somehow you know that it’s there. Even the people who don’t know it in their heads, know it in their hearts. How many stories have you read where the group demeans, and when she’s gone, a lull comes over, this kind of grief. Where they realize in retrospect what was absent before? That knowledge comes from the heart, once the mind no longer storms. Regret that can take so many forms. But you’ve played every role, from a villain to a saint. You know kindness is never wasted. Love is never misspent. You share it with others. You now share it for yourself. No matter how intense the voices surge, that yell, that implore the narrative, on your dying day it’s a thing you won’t regret. That part of you that knows. Beyond the roles. Beyond all the masks worn. Your heart is made of love. What a great day to be born. Today you are new! You have this inescapable shine! All that carbon and gas? It was so your diamond could be formed. ❤️