Truth vs. State

Happy New Year!

Before we get into resolutions, ambitions and goals, can we just take a minute to process what has been? Like, wow. French actress, Isabelle Adjani reflected, “Life has brought me work to do on myself these past two years.” I don’t know if I can affirm that I have become a new woman… but I am certainly different. My biggest wrestle entailed how to handle the truth. In the now famous scene from the 1992 film, ‘A Few Good Men’, Jack Nicholson plays Colonel Nathan R Jessup, who is interrogated in court by Tom Cruises’ character, Lieutenant Daniel Kaffee over a controversial “Code Red” order which was given. Ltn Kaffee is attempting to have Col Jessup confess that he authorized the instruction. This leads to a heated exchange which set up the iconic reply. Fun fact, Jack Nicholson changed the line from the original script. It was written as “You already know the truth” and he improvised with “You can’t handle the truth.” I find that striking for many reasons. Very often, we demand answers in detailed, plainly laid out form. Especially about the future. ‘If I could just have a clear picture,’ we say ‘then I’d be able to get myself ready’. How many things in life actually require us to be fully ready as a catalyst for their occurrence? Grief is not concerned whether you desire to let go or not. When its time, its time. Building a family has, in my circles, not happened according to a perfectly executed schedule. It’s miracles and blessings received by open hearts. Don’t get me wrong, preparation is beneficial. But so is being willing. Because a lot of things catch us by surprise or off guard. Even in cases where they do not, we must be willing to go through what we go through because we have accepted the truth. Certain things or some people change. Others are only exposing their true nature. There is no guarantee that it will always be the same, controllable setting. Instead of imposing a notion held in my mind, I learnt to digest the reality laying plainly before me. Then I realized that I put way too much of my own value in external factors. When its good, its good because I thought I’m an awesome wife / daughter / sister / friend / professional. When its bad, it must be due to the fact that I messed up. Picture wondering around the house in the same free t-shirt and jogger pants botched. It sounds strange in theory to address that, fam, not everything happening to you is personal (please stick with me, I’m not a pothole philosopher). A knife doesn’t take on the attributes of the block sharpening it. It endures the friction to revitalize dull edges for another task. The main show is not the block. The knife may pay attention to its improvement more than the method. For tomorrow, maybe a steel rod or another knife will do the sharpening. Moreover, a block cannot give a knife its distinguishing edges; neither can it take them away. Your challenges are therefore not defining. They are refining. Similarly, your achievements are a testament to your ability, not your entirety. Yeah, you were schoolin’ ’em once upon a what what. Now you’re a student. That’s mighty impressive too.

We should really move forward in the good and bad acknowledging that there is nothing we confront which cannot be put behind us.

Now, you were about to tell me your 2022 layout. I’m all ears….

Blessings and love