Excellence, Perfection, Maturity and Dust

"Am I getting old? I am old." A woman in her late 30s whispered to me. I thought, gee, I'll be 30 in 4 months, but I don't feel old. I don't look old. I don't act old. But, maybe I am old. Am I that lady who thinks she's in her prime when the reality is that certain unmentionables have gone south for "forever" and she really shouldn't be wearing that top at all! Perhaps, I'm not so outlandish, but I have noticed myself "thinking" ... Am I too old for that? And so here I am examining myself , wondering what is the difference between excellence & perfection ... maturity and dust.

There was an elderly man on the Commuter bus last week on my way to work who said, "I'm getting to old for this!" In reference to his bowels (yes, he was discussing his bowels, flatulence and other embarrassing situations he has found himself in on the highways & byways of life). And to my surprise the woman who had whispered to me only a day before, "Am I getting old? I am old." Stunningly, replied to the old man, "You're only has old has you feel." And so, I was perplexed.

I've noticed a trend all these years commuting ...people like to talk about their problems. They like to feel sorry for themselves. They like to discuss their woes. Almost every single person that I commute with has shared with me (or I've overheard ... ) some horrible tale or some life threatening issue. And while it is saddening to note, I realized that there are alot of people in pain, without answers. I realized that apart of maturity isn't beating yourself up because you have not. Apart of maturity is however, listening to the hearts of people and responding with answers that save. It's so much easier to chime in and say, "yeah, me too, my back hurts too. My husband left me too. My kids are crazy too." And while you may be able to relate to the woes, apart of maturity, is saying, "It gets better and I won't let you sulk. I'm going to tell you what you need to hear even if you don't want to hear it." I'm going to be the one at the end of the day that challenges you to get off of your Cry Baby Babble and onto the next phase.

I'm guilty, yes. In fact, I'm guilty like yesterday. Feeling sorry for myself because I have bills I can't pay & time away from my family, and yada yada yada. But wait a minute, I have breath in my body, hair on my head, children that are healthy, a husband that loves me ... a promise from God. Perfection isn't never failing ... Perfection is never failing to believe!