Potential

In my friend's office was a plaque that read, "There is no greater burden than a great potential." I hate that saying, because it is so true! A rant from long ago went something like this, "We are told as children (I was) to dream big, aim high and the like. By so doing we set ourselves up for displeasure because however low we aim, most of us will not hit the mark we set. Our whole life thenceforth is spent in some level of remorse. For some, years are spent wondering what they could have done better, harder, longer to be 'in a better place right now.' Others will not dream or aim at all. In a way they are better of, whatever they hit is beyond expectation, so it is an achievement. Who is the happier putter, the one who is going for a hole in one and gets it in two, or the one who just hits the ball and makes his putt in two?" Is the glass half full or half empty?

I am often informed of my great potential, many gifts and the like. It is all well and good, but, now that all these things have been noted, I am expected to live up to them. Oh the mental-teeth-gnashing! What no one sees is the rift between where my 'great potential' places me and where I actually stand.

So maybe life is getting to that high chair. What say you? "Oh blast," I say, "It will be a long, tough hike!"