Life is Like a Box of Sand

Life is like a box of sand. Hang with me here…

Imagine the world is one huge sandbox, and it is our life’s purpose to design and build our very own sandcastle. It can be as glamorous or understated as we wish. Imagine the rub is, there are limited tools to go around. We cannot all build at once. We must take turns and share.

Some of us will be patient and generous with our tools and time. We will share without question and also provide the support others may need to fulfill their purpose. Still others will hoard tools to ensure no will ever be able to build a better castle than theirs. These folks will pretend it took less time and materials to create what they have and shame others for not having what it takes to succeed. They will deny the privilege they enjoyed while building, and any assistance they received. 

There will also be people quite picky about with whom they share their tools. These people will pretend sharing with just anyone would be careless and irresponsible to the community at large. They will create certain “standards,” and reject those with no ambition – people who want nothing more than to build a simple sandcastle. They will attempt to use the tools and power they have to dominate the sandcastle industry and determine worth based on status. They might even coerce those they feel unworthy to build castles for them, and then offer to let those simple people stay if they can make inflated rent. Regardless of the situation, all things will be done according to their rules, under their control, and at their leisure. 

We live within this system.

Certain people don’t have the right to fulfill their life’s purpose. They do not have the tools they need, and no one is sharing. Even if they do somehow get the chance, it is not without fear that someone will smash it just because it’s different. 

We need to do better. We need to stop hoarding the tools we’ve used to perfect our own castles, and share what we have learned. We need to stop feeding the egos of those who believe they have more power because they said so. We need to make room for each other. We need to start valuing the talents and gifts that “different” brings to the table, and stop viewing these qualities as threats.

Just because we don’t understand, doesn’t give us the right to devalue or destroy what someone else has worked to build. There are lifetimes of stories behind those structures, and if we can’t take the time to listen, we have no right to judge. We have all survived something to make it this far, and those things play a huge part in what motivates the magnificent creations we are. 

It’s okay to share. It’s okay to help someone who needs it. It’s okay to ask for help, and it’s okay to take it. No one of us is better qualified or worthy of happiness or the freedom that comes from realizing that fact.

Life is like a box of sand.

What tools are you sharing today?
What do you need to build the life that you deserve?