What’s the great quote from The Princess Bride? “Life is pain. Anyone who tells you differently is selling something.”
I may not be quite as nihilistic as that, being a recovering cynic and all, but there’s truth to that line for sure.
It used to be that we couldn’t all be president or NBA stars. Maybe we could be an astronaut on a technicality for a little while, but you still weren’t in space, just in a warehouse that smelled like pineapple salsa (not a bad thing).
These days it’s the drive to drop my girls off at school. Every day I pass a hundred houses I will never be able to afford. Martina McBride’s estate. Jack White’s place. The Governor’s mansion. And all their neighbors. I can’t lie and say that doesn’t affect the way I feel about the house I actually do live in or how much money I can bring in.
Life isn’t fair. We can’t all date the homecoming queen. But maybe we don’t want to. She’s not really very kind, and that lasts longer than beauty.
And I may not be in the dreaded 1% they talk about in the news, but I might be in the 20%. That’s still not fair to the other 80%. And globally I’m rich and live in a relative mansion. I have a job I love, three smart healthy kids, and a Netflix account.
I have more than I deserve, but I focus on what somebody else has that I don’t. Like cynicism and pride, what a waste of time.
The recovering cynic tries to take a breath a few times a day and focus on gratitude. This is the day the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it.
it’s been a long, cold winter finally gone I have spent years just waiting for my turn to come
but who said life was fair? they only tried to tell you cause they wanted you to turn your head while they robbed you blind
I could tell by the way he was talking that has was lying to me oh Lord, I know a liar I got a mirror and vanity
cause we all know that life ain’t fair things they tell you in the schoolroom don’t mean nothing when it’s us and them you got to stay alive
oh no, I keep falling in a Hollywood love affair with a life that isn’t really there oh, why don’t we fight it? buying when they’re selling air wanting when we shouldn’t care who said life was fair?
open my eyes, let me see open my heart, let me know open my mind to believe that there’s a reason
but who said life was fair? they tell you in the schoolroom but they knew it wouldn’t last out there
oh no, I keep falling in a Hollywood love affair buying when they’re selling air who said life was fair?
hide it when you find it better hold it when you got it got to slide it in your pocket cause they’ll sniff you out, sniff you out power, absolutely, is the absolute solution to the pesky little conscience oh yeah!