Reaching.........

Do you ever reach for anything in your life?

Everybody needs things in their lives, a job, a place to live, companionship, self esteem. Maslow has created a triangle diagram that lists these things in order of importance. ("Benefits of a classical education"-Die Hard) You can obtain solutions to your problems in a lot of different ways. Sometimes you can do it on your own, point and shoot: If you need something, you figure out how to get it. You try and succeed. Sometimes you need help: Either you're not sure of what you need and someone has to show you the way or you don't know how to go about getting what you need. Other times, you may need something in your life that takes a lot of effort to obtain. This situation sucks because: you're on your own. No one can help you. No one's going to show you the way, it's completely up to you.

Now, the last one I listed adds a whole new perspective to things we need. Let's say, you have a job. This job is supporting you. This isn't what you want to do and you feel like you're wasting your time there; but, you don't see any better alternatives. So, your need is fulfilled, but not quite as much as you need it to be. You try to think: "Hey, I should be happy I even have a job in today's wicked economy. " That will keep you going for a while, but eventually, you'll feel that sting again. Now, getting a job is hard enough. Getting a job YOU LIKE can be extremely difficult. To do that, you're going to have to work, you're going to have to try harder. You're going to have to reach. A lot of people take what they're given in life. They take it, some of them are happy with it, others learn to be happy with it, others settle for it because it takes "too much work" to get what they really want.

Then there are others who REACH for what they really want. Reaching is a bitch. Picture yourself on a platform out in the middle of nowhere. You really want to get off this plat form because you have "Shit to do and an appointment on Tuesday" (Ani Difranco), but it's a long way UP to the platform on the edge of the nearest mountain. You look and there are several other platforms you have to get to in order to make it there. There are chains hanging off of these platforms. They are just far enough out of reach for you to grab a hold of. You stand on the edge of the platform, on your tippy-toes and try to grab that chain (that's reaching). But if you do that, you might lose your balance and fall into the f*cking abyss below (AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! It's
a long way down, you'll run out of breath before you hit the bottom).

So, if you try to reach and it doesn't work out, you might have to LEAP towards the chain dangling out in space and HOPE that you can grab it. HOPE that it doesn't slip through your hands before you can squeeze it with all of your might. HOPE that you have the strength to climb to the next platform. Or you can make yourself at home and HOPE a stray bird, or a bat flies by, because THEN you'll have a snack ("Not going anywhere for a while??").

Reaching is scary. True we're not all standing on platforms out in space, but it sucks not getting what you need to be happy and knowing that it's out there, and knowing that it's up to you and you alone to get it. No one is going to hand it to you. It sucks knowing that, to get it, you're going to have to reach for it, maybe even LEAP for it. It sucks even more to know that, even if you reach and leap, you STILL might not get it. So what do you do? Settle for the platform you're standing on? or reach for what you want and die trying?

There's a loop-hole though. Is this really about NEED? I mean, if you're not getting what you NEED to be happy, is that a WANT? or a NEED? I'm guessing that NEEDS are things you can't live with out. Are WANTS, things that you won't be happy without? If so, is there an assumption that comes with life that reads as follows: You don't NEED to be happy in life. Happiness is not a NEED, it is a WANT therefore you won't exactly GET IT? OR is it your DECISION to turn this WANT into a NEED?

I say convince yourself to reach, even if you fall, you might land on a lower platform. With broken legs, added wisdom, and a good SOLID NEED for MEDICAL ATTENTION you would at least know that you tried. Wow, that' s about as up lifting as a turd-shower. Anyway, back to work, GOD I need to get out of this job!

Or perhaps, to end things on a positive note, I should go back to the original, simple explanation?: Is it YOUR DECISION to turn a WANT into a NEED. You can do it on your own, point and shoot: STEP ONE: If you need something, you figure out how to get it. STEP TWO: You try and STEP THREE: succeed.***







*** (If, at first, this doesn't work. Go back to the beginning of the paragraph and repeat steps 1-3.)