A poetic moment...

Today appears to be a nostalgic, poetic sort of day...I have found myself deep in thought, thinking profound statements and reminiscing about life changing moments in my life. Odd I know but I this we all do this from time to time.

Many of us find great solace in thought-provoking words from our fellow mankind. Ranging from inspriational words from Oprah or Maya Angelou, from the glorious power of Martin Luther King to Abraham Lincoln. Profound words that speak deeply into your heart reaching down into you deep, dark depths of your soul, grabbing hold your very core, and shining a light.

When I was younger, I had the opportunity to perform in the Badlands of North Dakota for four seasons in the Medora Musical. This was a huge time in my life, filled with life-forming experiences, milestones and memories. I had my first professional theatrical experience there. I turned 21 there. I made life-long friends there. I came to terms with who I was there. I clogged under the stars there. I fell in love there. I could reach out and touch the Northern Lights there. I found God there, underneath the starry skies, lying atop of a butte, with the scoria on my back, laughing with friends, and grabbing each shooting star by the tail. I experienced the words of Theodore Roosevelt there.

He stated:

"It is not the critic who counts,

not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles

or where the doer of deeds could have done better.

The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena,

whose face is marred with the dust and sweat and blood,

who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again,

because there is no effort without error or shortcoming,

but who knows the great enthusiasms,

the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause;

who, at the best, knows, in the end the triumph of high achievement,

and who, at the worst, if he fails,

at least he fails while daring greatly,

so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls

who knew neither victory nor defeat."

Beautiful, profound, and life forming for me. These words have rolled around in my head for many, many years and is at the core of how I set my life goals.

In the words of Auntie Mame:

"LIVE!!!! Life's a banquet and most poor suckers are starving themselves."

May these words find their way into your lives as well.