Anything Is Possible

At the moment a child is born, anything is possible. Children are born every day, all the time, everywhere. That's the thing, everyone is born in a different place. People ask, "Where were you born?" "Where did you grow up?" "Where were you raised?" and the answers are different for everyone. If you stop and think about it for a moment, think about where you live right now. Then, think about where you were born, where you grew up, and where you were raised and who raised you. Did you have any idea way back then that you would someday end up where you are now? Just think about how things could have been if you had been born in a different state, in a different neighborhood, or by different parents, or a different family altogether. I'm not asking anyone to go back and look at their life and get depressed and full of regrets, but just think about it for a second. When you pass a baby in a stroller think about this next time. How is the baby in the high-dollar stroller rolling through the Baby Gap store any different from the half-clothed baby being yelled at by the poor, tired, hungry mother? They're both babies right? They both have a mom and dad somewhere, right, or else they wouldn't be there. So, what's the difference? The difference is one was born into a wealthy family and one was born into a poor family. One will live in a rich neighborhood and never know what it's like to live on the other side of the tracks. One will never have to go without food, shelter, or clothing, and one will grow up listening to mommy and daddy fight about how they're going to make it through another month. One will receive a good education and be well-developed and successful, and one will have to develop street-smarts and have to fight to make it in the world.

I often think, "What if I would have been raised by the ocean, or by the beach? Would I have learned how to swim and not be so afraid of water?" "What if my family went camping all the time and on vacations? Would I not be so scared to travel and afraid of adventure and the outdoors, and heights?" Don't get me wrong, I don't look at my parents and say, "I hate you! Why didn't you teach me how to swim? Why didn't you ever take us anywhere?" I just wonder sometimes, that's all. I also wonder if the people who live "in the rich part of town" know what it's like to grow up where I did. How would I have acted or how would I have been had I grown up in a safe neighborhood where everybody jogs in the mornings and walks their dogs at night. Do places like that really exist?

I guess all I'm asking for is a little bit of understanding. For a little less picking on people. You don't know what it's like. Quit picking on the poor kid who wears the same clothes all the time and smells, and doesn't speak right. Quit picking on the rich prep who seems to have all the money in the world, but her parents are never home to talk to her 'cause they're too busy going golfing and to country club parties. Maybe you just don't understand. Maybe no one knows what it's like to be me, and maybe I don't know what it's like for anybody else. This one thing holds true for us all: Everyone is living to have a better day than the one they just had.