Brandelyn: Lyrical Contradiction

...People have (with the help of conventions) oriented all their solutions toward the easy and toward the easiest side of the easy; but it is clear that we must hold to what is difficult; everything in Nature grows and defends itself in its own way and is characteristically and spontaneously itself, seeks at all costs to be so and against all opposition.

On my way out of the house this morning, desperate for something to read besides applications, I randomly grabbed In love and Trouble by Alice Walker. This book came out in 1967 and I think I have an original copy because the pages are yellowed and brittle, and I love it! As I opened the cover, I read this particular quote and for a moment I felt like everything came together.

With most of the people in my life, we are in the processing phase. We are taking the necessary steps to put ourselves into position to accomplish our goals. We are in Grad school, or working stacking money or silently putting our pawns into position so that we can snatch up a king or queen. When I think about people that I admire, people that are already where I want to be, I often forget about the fact that each person who has made it, who had accomplished their goal, who has achieved their desire, absolutely went through a processing phase. This stage is one of the most important because it is during this phase that we truly get to know ourselves. I heard somewhere that people are like bags of tea, their true nature comes out when placed in hot water. I firmly believe this. For me personally, this processing phase has been interesting. I have been financially challenged; i.e. Broke, I have been hurt, frustrated, molded, grateful, everything that you can possibly imagine because I am working toward my goal. My goal in life is not to make money, my goal is to be happy and content with what I am doing and not have to work for someone else. My goal is to be an artist in several forms and I am not going to stop until I get to that point. The good thing for me is that I got an early start. I’m still in my 20’s, two books already on bookshelves and many more to come. Alice Walker published her first book of poems while she was a senior in college. I feel her. Her first novel, The Third Life of Grange Copeland did not get nearly the acclaim of the Color Purple and was equally as prolific if you ask me. But I digress...

The point is to all of my 04’s and recent college Alum’s and friends struggling through their residencies, and jobs they can’t stand, we are going to make it. We can deal with the crazy bosses and coworkers, the cracker jack pay checks, the uncertainty, the professors, the papers, the moving around, we can deal with all of that because we are in a stage. We are being groomed for the greatness that God has ahead for us, we just need to stay focused and get through it. Soon we will be the people that get quoted and admired and looked up to. Shoot, for the most part, most of us are already there. We will become the mentors and lend a hand to the next generation coming up behind us. Hold on to the difficult, because the easy parts of life will only get you so far, and it is clear from the positions we have already placed ourselves in, that we are all destined and desiring greatness...

Peace Y’all