The Secret to All Things…
The secret of worth, he said
isn’t about what you want or dream
or even take from the world. What colors
your worth, he said, is what you do.
Our worth comes from service.
As applause thundered, I couldn’t
help but think of my little niece in her
wheelchair, tiny hands bent at right
angles, mute and quadriplegic
for ever and ever, Amen.
And I kind of wanted
to ask him if he even knows
what the word ableism means
but there was no point,
really, and so I didn’t.
The secret of money, he said.
is knowing that more money
doesn’t make us happier, and that’s
a fact complete with longitudinal
studies to back it up, of course.
As applause thundered, I thought
about the woman who died between
shifts, working 3 jobs and I think
more money would have meant she
didn’t have to rest in peace at 32.
And I kind of wanted to ask
him if he knows the money study
says “after a point” but a full half of
America is not at that point, and
might never be, but I didn’t.
The secret of happiness, he said
is knowing the best things in life are
free, musing upon too much shopping
and too much spending and honestly, not
nearly enough gratitude, right?
As applause thundered, I thought
about the 2.5 million homeless
children in America and I suppose
they probably think free things
are totally the best, too.
But, I didn’t want to ask him
anything, anymore. It was so
simple all along I don’t know why
I didn’t see it sooner. We simply see
the world through different eyes.
“And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.”
― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince
For White Feather because I stole the title from you. In all fairness, I said I was going to. Also, for Denise Garratt and Dennett, Lori McCray and Rick Gibbins and Linda A Robinson, PhD because you’re so kind when I write feel-y stuff.
