The Sculptor

I often get the impression that many people never even consider being different. They feel as though they are predisposed to think, act, speak and be a certain way, as if the cement of their lives has already been poured into the proverbial mold and they are simply waiting for it to set up. Is that how you feel? I certainly believe that each of is born with a specific package of gifts and talents, strengths and weaknesses. Those things make up the foundation of who we are, even where we begin, but they clearly do not determine our futures. The future, by definition, is that which has yet to happen. It is, therefore, entirely open to possibility. For today’s metaphorical offering, I turn to the hands of a sculptor. Our lives, at least our futures, are much like formless clay in the hands of a sculptor. Better yet, we are the sculptors of our lives. Each year, each month, each day is ours to shape. Many of us, however, are willing to settle for something less than a work of art. We complain about the clay of our clay of our lives. We doubt our own artistic talents. We think we lack perspective. Such wonderful excuses and certainly ones I have used with shocking regularity. However, each life has the potential to become a masterpiece, as does each day. The choice is up to us. We can make excuses. We can compromise. We can somehow abdicate responsibility for our actions. Or we can approach each day with a sculptor’s eye. We can make the choices that make a difference and carefully sculpt our existence into a thing of beauty. It’s not about money or privilege. It’s all about our hearts and how we will affect the lives of others. What will you do today? Will you settle for something less? Each of us wakes up in the morning with the same number of hours, the same number of fingers, roughly the same number of heart beats. What makes the difference is what we choose to do with them. When you wake up in the morning, even when you turn away from this screen, life will be laid out before you, waiting expectantly for your response, your guidance, your choice. Take a deep breath ... and make it a masterpiece.

The Sculptor
I am the sculptor
And every day
Begins as
A formless hunk of clay
I am free to shape it
As I please
I can waste it
or
Make it a masterpiece
By Frank Carpenter ©