The Magic Recipe

If anyone were to ever ask me for a sure-fire cure to anything, I'd say 'WORK'!!

I kid you not, ever since I've gone back to work, life just seems like an endless day-dream... Every morning, while on my way, I cannot thank God enough for my oh-so-beautiful life. Of course, once at work, I'm dealt the usual dose of stress, performance-anxiety, dead-lines, fumbling with lines, untimely hunger pangs, post-lunch snooze cravings and so on. But oh, the sweet surrender of a hard day's night !

I suppose the age-old adage does hold sway- an idle mind is a devil's workshop. I wonder why no one from our generation comes up with little pearls of wisdom? Maybe it's because everything that needs to be thought through, analyzed and philosophized has already been through the grind, with the possible exception of euthanasia and the origins of homosexuality.

As a child, I wanted to do everything and be everyone, all at once. It could possibly be interpreted as an identity complex, but I'd like to dismiss it as a severe case of misplaced enthusiasm. That was of course before I came across another old gem- jack of trades and king of none. I'd be damned if I wasn't going to be the king/queen of something!

Still, I do sometimes wish life was narrowed down to just a few good choices, instead of our minds being constantly infiltrated by seemingly endless choices- a few good, some questionable, and a whole lot of unnecessary ones. Apparently, it's been proven that people make wiser and needless to say, quicker choices when faced with a limited number of them. And if we, as adults are facing a dilemma in this respect, I wonder what the average kid out there must feel like.

Although, what really intrigues me, is what a kid with the picture-perfect life must feel like. Take for example, someone who's been in the news lately- the adorable off-spring of the best looking couple in the world, Shiloh. I really do wonder what it must feel like to wake up to beautiful mom Jolie and big strong dad Pitt every single day and to be shielded from all that is ugly in this world. And as she grows up, will she become obsessed with the mirror on the wall, or will she blossom into one of those few blessed individuals who are so beautiful, it goes deeper than their level of awareness, while the rest of the world gapes on?

Does Shiloh ever feel like the world is a mean, unfair place? Does she ever wish she was someone else? Does she wish her hair wasn't so perfectly blonde? Has she ever needed to throw a tantrum to get what she wants? Will she ever need to worry about being judged by her peers?

Of course, I have the answers to none of the above questions. As for the rest of the not-so-obviously-lucky kids out there, I hope and pray that life doesn't turn out half bad. But really, it depends on just two things, whether or not you want to make a difference, and whether or not you want to do it right.

Ironic isn't it, that the intricacies of life can be boiled and simmered down to just that?