Born Under a Bad Sign

One of the things I think about when I'm thinking about things is how each of us is seemingly relegated to our 'lot in life' not through any of our own doing, but by our birthright. If I was born a Kennedy, I'd be living in Massachusetts; suckling on the family teat.

However, if I were born to a family of alcoholic mental-defectives, it is likely that I would be sleeping on a grate at 15th and Chestnut Streets, carrying a sign begging for food. With only a tiny amount of good fortune, we fall somewhere in between the Kennedy's and the Streety's - God bless them all.

Once we realize that our lot in life is at least partially pre-determined, perhaps we can then begin to come to terms with who we are and what we have become. As adults, I think it is necessary to take stock in our lives at some point. Perhaps now is a good time for you, too.

Presumably, we all do the best we can with what we have, and it is up to each of us to determine whether or not that is the case. For some of us, the best we have has come a bit late in life, and for whatever reason, we have delayed the cream's rise until the latter half of our life's pour. If you are young enough, (and by young, I refer to those of you who still have the ability to change your life's path) you will be able to distinguish your life's intended path from the path you wish it to take. And, I wish you the best of fortunes as you attempt to redirect your path, if that is your decision. However, if you are happy in your pre-determined path, it is either because that path is right for you, or you have become so indolent that for you, it doesn't matter.

What got me to thinking about it, you may ask (I hope)? It stems from my basic belief that, as Lenny Bruce said, "We're all the same schmuck," and each of us is one 'but for the grace of God' away from being a Streety as much as we are from being a Kennedy. When you work for people who are perceived one way by the outside world, and another way by those of us who see them daily, your perspective on people of power changes. If that changes, then everything changes.

The phrase "lucky to be here" comes to mind, and I am not sure that the humility of the situation completely reaches those in power. Why have they been singled out and others of us are the "huddled masses?" If I could answer that question, I wouldn't be posting blogs. So, if you have been relegated to some minor position in life, take heart, because those above you are only above you in the monetary sense. Conversely, if you have been blessed to be what we call a superior, do your best to realize that your so-called superiority is divined, and not assigned.