The road to better things

Someone told me, "I deserve better than this." She was speaking in part of her children growing up and leaving her. I don't see it quite that way, in that her children are seizing life, and what could be better than that? But what I do see is that now it's her turn to find a life worth seizing. She has a job that does not make use of her talents. In that respect, she is an eagle trying to live the life of an ant. She is a unique and creative person. I find that people I know who are more eccentric tend to have a more difficult time finding work, friends, and romance which will fit them. We all have our unique ways of shining, but we live in a world that has more niches for some kinds of shining than for other kinds of shining. Difficulty finding a niche in the mainstream is no indication of unworthiness. I can see that when I look at other people better than when I look at myself. We all have so much to offer. It's just not always easy to find a place where our gifts can be used.

Her situation resonates with me. I don't have kids, but I have been in the situation of younger people taking what they need from me and then moving on to better things. I want to find a place where I'm not something to be disposed of on the road to better things, but instead I am a better thing.

We all need to be in mutual relationships. We need to be with people who need what we have to offer and who give us what we need. But sometimes people aren't yet prepared to give, they just need to be nurtured. Parents and others take care of these people. Being taken care of may be what the person needs at the time, but ultimately, they will need to be in mutual relationships, so they will need to move on. Those of us who take on the task of nurturing those who aren't able to give back end up being in the position of being left behind. It's just one of the side effects of the job, but it doesn't mean that it's not a job worth doing.