Enjoyment and achievement, how do they relate...

[cjsmith]

Thanks to cassidyrose for pointing out this neat Molly Ivins column. The last coupla paragraphs really got me going.

Yeah:

Here's to those of us who like to play dress-up, but don't happen to have the particular kind of genetic twist that'll make it to the fashion show runway. Here's to those of us who lift weights without the myostatin deletion gene. Here's to those of us who enjoy trying, even when we're not the best, even when we're surrounded by overly competitive spirits and fragile blustering egos and people with walls and shelves full of awards we ourselves will never win. Here's to those of us who have to work twice as hard as the next guy, but who have a good time doing it. Here's to those of us who can enjoy life even though we'll never get kudos or recognition or sometimes even thanks for what we do.

And you know what?

Here's to those of us who are still learning how to enjoy life under those circumstances. Here's to those of us who do hurt when we hear someone mutter "loser", who are sad that we're always the bridesmaid. Here's to those of us who congratulate the winner and smile for the family photo anyway, because our pain should be invisible. (After all, we only got what we deserved, right? Ask anybody with awards on his shelf and that's what he'll be happy to tell you.) Here's to everyone who has ever felt pain when a dream finally died.

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Nobody's Hero

[thorswitch.livejournal.com]

That kind of reminded me of a song by Rush that I absolutely love (ok, so I absolutely love MOST songs by Rush, but this one is really way up there on the list *g*). In some ways, it's kind of a sad song, but what I always hear in it is the idea that even if no one would consider someone to be a "hero", the things we do can still have a profound impact on those around us - and that really does matter:

Nobody's Hero


I knew he was different in his sexuality
I went to his parties as a straight minority
It never seemed a threat to my masculinity
It only introduced me to a wider reality.

As the years went by
We drifted apart
When I heard that he was gone
I felt a shadow cross my heart.

But he's nobody's hero
Saves a drowning child
Cures a wasting disease
Hero, lands a crippled airplane
Solves great mysteries.

Hero, not the handsome actor
Who plays the heroes role
Hero, not the glamor girl
Who'd love to sell her soul.
If anybody's buying nobody's hero.

I didn't know the girl
But I knew her family
All their lives were shattered
In a nightmare of brutality.

They tried to carry on
Tried to bear the agony
Tried to hold some faith
In the goodness of humanity.

As the years went by
We drifted apart
When I heard that she was gone
I felt a shadow cross my heart.

But she's nobody's hero
Is the voice of reason
Against the howling mob.
Hero, Is the pride of purpose
In the unrewarding job.

Hero, not the champion player
Who plays the perfect game
Hero, not the glamor boy
Who loves to sell his name
If everybody's buying
Nobody's hero.

As the years went by
We drifted apart
When I heard that you were gone
I felt a shadow cross my heart.

But he's nobody's hero
Saves a drowning child
Cures a wasting disease
Hero, lands a crippled airplane
Solves great mysteries.

Hero, is the voice of reason
Against the howling mob
Hero, is the pride of purpose
In the unrewarding job
The unrewarding job.

Hero, not the glamor girl
Who'd love to sell her soul
Is anybody buying nobody's hero
Hero, Nobody's hero
Hero