IDEAL and Actual

Two brothers follow us along life's journey,

often a case of mistaken identity,

the first looking so like the other

one would think him a twin of his brother--

though they share little in common.

One, exceedingly handsome, clever, and witty;

the second, so twisted and dwarfed provokes pity.

Yet in certain lights, their images change places

along with their character, forms, and faces;

illusion becomes reality.

They show up everywhere, but rarely together;

yet one often assumes the role of the other...

The dwarf, on unseen stilts, masquerading as Ideal;

Ghostly ideal donning cloned form of Actual.

Beware the masked ball; it decides all!

Watch for their appearing at

      interviews,

       weddings,

       funerals,

          christenings--

Invited guest and imposter.

It is said one cannot chase Ideal without disillusionment--

nor embrace Actual without finding fulfillment.

Anyone out there remember the days of running, playing, fighting, imagining on stilts?  My older brothers made them with 2x4's and cut-off pieces of the block of wood to step onto.  (I think some fancy models made have boasted a strap).  Anyway, I loved the height they lent my shortness.  To be sure, a fall could hurt, but the interim play was fun.:)

And back in the "good, old days" (ha, who'd have ever thought that phrase would make me smile:) before we learned that Halloween had evil origins, we eagerly anticipated that holiday.  We were too poor to buy ready-made "costumes", but what a time we enjoyed construing a disguise that could not be easily diagnosed as being us.  The trick, of course, was to choose something totally out of character.

All, well, in so many ways, life, though more difficult in some aspects, was much simpler back then.

What about now?  As I encouraged in "Die Dreaming", we should never quit picturing a purposeful

goal.  But life is not the paperback novel I used to enjoy reading back then (and I would not suggest wasting time with "real life" fiction of any other kind:)   I think the balance is seeing the ideal already in the actual, enjoying that now, and working on our part of making the actual live up to our ideal. 

What might I decisively do to affect any desired change?

Dreams and ideals can alter with time; for all living, growing things change--and that means us, too!

(God, of course, is Unchanging because He Alone is in the ultimate state of Ideal Perfection).  The moral?  Neither settle for "dream death" nor live in the state of passive or unrealistic discontent. 

Let's reach unafraid, with non-cynical joy, for what lies before us--even expecting a miracle--but also embracing with thanksgiving each moment of today--and the miracle in our hands!  That means fully living.  Live alive! :)