The Epic Everyday

I gave a speech at my high school graduation ceremony in 2007 that began like this:

"I want to save the world. I want to be a hero. I want a life like those in the movies and fairy tale stories. I want to be swept up into grand adventures  daring sword fights  and breathtaking landscapes. I crave the passionate pursuit, the magnificent journey, and the victorious conclusion."

I was very dramatic in the delivery of the speech. It is actually quite embarrassing how much so. But that isn't the point: the point is that I craved adventure then, and I crave it now. But I've realized that the life I articulated in my speech is one that I am having even now. Minus the sword fights.

I went on in my speech to say that life with Jesus at the center is by definition adventurous. The difference between real life, and fairy tale life is that we don't see the unglamorous,boring parts of the journey in the movies. And thus we doubt that life can be magical.

I've been told I am a hopeless romantic and an idealist. I think life has tamed me quite a bit, but I'm happy to say that I have not relinquished faith in true life happily ever afters...and everything in between. Truly, there are not always happily ever afters unless you know True Love in Jesus.

But I'm talking about the little things here...hair blowing in the wind, dressing up for no reason, being bold and daring when no one is watching, singing to the birds, smiling at strangers, and driving on back roads like you're in a car chase scene.

Why can't we live like we ARE in the movies? Add a little drama and flavor? Not the soap opera kind....the Disney kind. The “if my life were a reality show, everyone would watch it” kind. Again, not the Jersey Shone kind.

One of my best friends loves to remind me to “live free”. To live bold and daring and risky. This friend and I were talking recently about the transitory nature of life, and how we would live if we only had 10 more years on earth. I was startled to find that my “plans” would drastically change. I wouldn't pursue the American Dream if I only had 10 more years. I would pursue people. I would pursue travel. I would dance every chance I got and wear high heels a lot more often. I would never hesitate to tell someone how much I loved them. I would be generous with praise and compliments. I would only say no if it was wrong. I would ask a boy out without fear of being forward. I would sing on a street corner for money. I would pray bolder prayers. I would buy a nice camera to document everything.

I would probably spend less on movies, because I would be living in one. I would spend more time listening to people's stories. I would worry less about what people thought of me. I would spend less time thinking about things I can't control. I would spend less time doubting God, and more time expecting His miracles.

So what am I waiting for?

Well, life happens. I suddenly find myself in the sort of story I did not intend, and of which I am not the author. Now what? What's next for the lost heroine?

If my life were a story, if would have been a good one. In 23 years I have done much, seen much, experienced much. I have been the heroine, and I have been the foe. I have been pursued, and I have been lonely. I have had much, and I have had little. In short, I am living my own version of a fairy tale. The ingredient that makes those stories so heart-warming is when the hero overcomes the odds. When the heroine forgives much. When broken hearts are mended. When love triumphs. Its because of the hard, ugly stuff that all the beauty appears perfect.

My life has had a lot of ugly and hard stuff, just like everyone's. But even in the midst of it, I still imagine that I'm still in my fairy tale.

I have a soundtrack playing music in my head as if I were in a movie. Maybe you are like me, and certain songs trigger memories or emotions. Whenever I made the drive from Chicago to NC, I heard the epic music from Braveheart playing as I got my first glimpse of home. When I go on a run, I imagine myself as the lead character of a workout video and the music pumps me up to the challenge. When I get on the road, I think of nostalgic songs of goings and comings. Its why I love holiday music. Emotions for me run through the current of music. Through music I view my world, and it is a magical one.

Don't be afraid to look stupid while you pursue your own fairy tale life. Embrace the ugly. Respect the beautiful. Live life as if you are the lead character in the greatest story ever told. Ride bareback wearing a long flowy dress, and listen to the sweeping orchestral masterpiece that accompanies you. Don't live for the happily ever after. Live for the Once Upon a Time...the beginnings. The in-betweens. And when they aren't as magical as you'd like, do something, anything, to make them more so. Even if it means singing to the forest animals. View yourself through a camera lens instead of a microscope. There is beauty to be found and experienced. He created it for you to enjoy, even during trials.

So today, turn on some music and dance around the house. Smile at your thoughts. Laugh because you can. Praise Him for what he has done and what He IS doing, and what He PLANS to do in you. There is greatness to be had.

Fairy tales are lived in the epic everyday.