Money may not be able to buy you love, but it sure can buy you a ticket to space. And family fame — that will land you a book deal sooner than you can say, “Would you like a spot of tea?” Most of us, though, don’t fly in any rockets, literal or metaphorical, and, if we want to get really good at something, we just practice, practice, practice. And then, the hard truth is, we still may be only mediocre, groveling around here on earth.
It’s not fair, not one bit fair. But then again, fairness is a human construct to begin with: we’d be hard-pressed to find it illustrated in Nature.
Up, Up, and Away
Wasn’t it strange hearing about Jeff Bazos and his companions heading up to what the commentators called “the edge of space” a few days ago? Here’s a phrase to stir up our uncertainty about what in fact the universe consists of — how far out it goes, what the borderlines are, if there’s any end, what company we may or may not have out there. This crew (well, really passengers since no crew was needed) went on a kind of ride, actually, having complete confidence in their safety and no real responsibility for how the thing worked. The company Blue Origin had seen to all of those details, just as another company — Virgin Galactic — had done, using a different technology, the week before. I mean, what else do we expect billionaires to do with their cash but take the biggest trip anyone can imagine?
And furthermore, the ride that took the four people 62 miles up above the earth to float around in the capsule for a while before heading back, took only about ten minutes.
I was hearing all about it while I made a drive from my home in New Hampshire to my friend’s summer place in the next door state of Maine. This took just over three hours, which I guess makes sense considering that the distance was quite a bit more than 62 miles. I was fine and jolly on the way there, listening intently to the debate over the pros and cons of what Bezos pulled off while looking forward to arriving at a spot where I would hear waves lapping against the rocks.
On the way back, however, I got a little hot and bothered in the car and wasn’t quite as patient. Nowadays, my body stiffens up during a long drive more than it used to, and I crave some stretching. Why is it that we always need to drive so many miles SOUTH on 95 and then, reaching the corner of New Hampshire, head NORTHWEST for a whole other hour?
I was pretty sure that Bezos and his cronies (yes, it’s great how the 82 year old woman got to go — taking nothing away from her) weren’t one bit bored during their whopping 10 minutes on board their vehicle, from which they got to gaze back at the beautiful orb of Earth.
Harry’s Tale is Coming
Arriving back home and catching up with the news before resuming work on my book proposal for literary agents, I was so glad to learn that Prince Harry has a new deal with Penguin Random House for his memoir.
Ever since that WOW interview with Oprah in which he and Meghan suggested that the Royal Family dabbled in racism, the public was bound to be still salivating for more. Here’s what The New York Times reported on Wednesday: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/19/books/prince-harry-memoir.html.
Meanwhile, even though I’m guessing he’s still working on his story, maybe with some help even, and I have in fact finished my manuscript, I am far from done with the journey towards publication. Sometimes it feels as if the goalposts keep getting moved back. Am I discouraged? Not yet anyway. I just got a book out of the library with the title Keep Going: 10 Ways To Stay Creative in Good Times and Bad by Austin Kleon (Workman Publishing, 2019). But I still can definitely understand the feelings of this young woman who is most likely trying to meet a plain old deadline without a long line of sovereigns lighting a way forward for her.
Fair? Nope. But the rewards for achieving whatever it is we put our minds to achieving are still great, no matter how long the journey might take.
Swing Your Own Way
Just this morning, when I went to hit balls against a backboard near some tennis courts where I usually play, I could see that someone else had beat me to it and was clearly planning on being there for a while. After running a mile on the track (this doesn’t happen in a flash) I approached the area just to let him know that I was hoping to follow him fairly soon.Then I could see that he was no average player. He confirmed, in fact, that he, a guy maybe in his forties who had coached for a living, was training many hours a day to re-enter the pro circuit. We chatted for a while, and then when he relinquished the backboard to me, heading to a court but planning to return soon, I said something like, “Please don’t watch me because there will be so much that I can do better.” But I already knew the most important truth: none of that mattered, because I was there ready to enjoy myself, and I was working on my skills. I was even getting somewhere.
Here’s a picture that I used in a blog back in 2012. This must have been the floor of our previous house. (Perish the thought — how long I’ve been at this!) I can say with some confidence, though, that I’m a better tennis player now than I was then. Slightly better, anyway.
Those Amazon vehicles that have become ubiquitous on our quiet roads have propelled Bazos into space; Prince Harry’s scruffy good looks, slightly bad boy image, and marriage to an American have all increased his fame and greased his book-writing wheels; but meanwhile, you and I are still trying to do our damn best to maintain our own pursuits, earth-bound as they are, to go for it in our own individual ways. No rockets needed.
What’s been your “I’m OK not being super-rich or super-famous or super-skilled” moment recently?
Diana Lawrence`
There are lots of things that open doors for some and put rocks in the paths of others in addition to the advantages / disadvantages of wealth, fame, or talent.
I’ve recently encountered roadblocks in two different parts of my life – one because I’m an outsider and the other because I’m not a pushover. I can’t say I’m OK with either because both have been disappointing, surprising, and hurtful. However, that doesn’t mean I’m giving up, because I’m passionate about the merits of what I’m trying to accomplish.
The remarkable thing is that the struggles are surfacing supporters, deepening relationships, and working to the disadvantage of my detractors. They’re also not over.
So far, the journey is creating a richness in my life I never expected despite the distasteful residue that persists. I also recognize it’s a luxury to be retired which means this tough stuff isn’t jeopardizing my livelihood. On balance, I’m glad for it.
Pastorswife
Thanks so much for this very honest and substantive response, Diana! And isn’t it true that any journey worth cherishing generally does include the “tough stuff” — rocks, barriers, setbacks, episodes that might discourage us from staying on the path. But turning back? Not generally the best option, although a friend did tell me just yesterday that her husband had to do just that when he discovered his vehicle, one he’d been creating step by step himself over many months, didn’t have some key feature like headlights working properly! But it definitely sounds like, in your case, there will be no need for “giving up” — maybe just, as for all of us, doing some learning and maybe making some adjustments along the way.