Val Dumond

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Articles on Writing, Grammar, and Publishing
by Val Dumond

Life is But a Stage
by Val Dumond
(with respects to W. Shakespeare)
© Copyright 2009

People come into our lives, much as actors enter a stage. They enter Stage Left and pause. Sometimes they talk to us, yell at us, discuss their problems with us, grow with us, fight with us, laugh with us - sometimes cry - and they let us know them well, as we let them know who we are.

Some of those folks affect our emotions deeply, as lovers, husbands/wives, children, grandchildren, mothers/fathers, grandparents, sisters/brothers, friends... ah, friends! Some friends stick around for years, always ready to lend an ear or a shoulder to cry on, a couple of dollars, their time, or good advice. Some friends make cameo appearances; they come and go quickly (Exit Stage Right) - leaving us wondering, "whatever became of ______?"

Those friends who linger sometimes have less an effect on us than one of those who comes and goes quickly. How often have you been told, "You probably don't remember, but something you said all those years ago deeply affected me"? How often have you said that to someone you knew only in passing? A single word of praise or encouragement can change a life (as can a hateful word slung in anger).

Memories become fleeting as they collect in our minds. Current memory sometimes pushes out old flames, former friends, classmates we chummed around with and pledged never to forget, cousins who grew up and away from our childhood adventures. Many memories are lost to us forever.

Oh how nostalgic I am waxing! Must be the years being added. Yes, another birthday is coming up. They seem to come faster and faster as the numbers get bigger and bigger.

One reason for the nostalgia is that birthday. Another is the result of a book I'm editing about expectations. If you've never analyzed your sense of expectations, take some time to do it now. Why is it we begin a flow of good times, then abruptly throw in that thought, "I just know something bad is about to happen"? Why do we expect holidays and birthdays to be something special before we learn that they can also be fraught with disaster?

Another reason for the nostalgia is the upcoming Special Birthday of a Special Young Lady. She will turn 18 on the 18th of this month - a very special day for her as she reaches one of the formal entries into adulthood. My own Special Day was my 24th birthday - ooooh so long ago! It turned out to be a disaster (at the time) and a blessing (in retrospect).

Memories are that elusive. What seems like catastrophe today just may become a blessing in the future. We never know - which makes life the exciting journey that it is. Somehow, we never feel "finished" or "complete". There's always another memory to make, something more to achieve, something more to try for, something more to... (oh well, you complete that one!)

While people come and go throughout our lives, most are retained somewhere in the mind, like a fond memory of a play we once attended. Only a special few are kept close to our hearts - forever.

So Happy Birthday to my Special Young Lady; Happy Birthday to Me; and Happy Memories of the all-star cast in between!

Val has two soon-to-be-published books: The JOY of Grammar and Ahlam, Story of an Iraqi Life.

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