The Precipice

I'm standing on the precipice of a whole new, uncharted section of life. I didn't chart this area, because I didn't honestly think it was reachable. But, it's here now, and it's stunning. Scary. Exciting. It occurs to me, however that all of us stands on a sort of life precipice every day. I'm no more special than the next person...each of us faces the same situations in life. Happiness. Health. Heartache. Love. Loss. Busyness. Success. Failure. Frustration. The list is endless, because it's part of the human condition. Daily, we're tested. Put through the fire, as it were. And daily, we stand at the edge of what for us, the individual standing in that precise spot, at that precise moment, is daunting.
We go through the motions of life, going to work and doing any of a number of extra activities that keep us busy. Busy is not a bad thing. But, while we're busy, we need to be more aware. Aware of understanding that we face choices each day. Choices that in and of themselves, are neither bad nor good. Sometimes, they're so seemingly innocuous that we don't stop to think where those choices might lead. Again...human nature. It's part of getting on with what we try to call living.
In my life experiences in the last few years I've discovered that somewhere along the way, in this fast paced, ever changing world we now call home, it's become okay to not be totally truthful. And, that in fact, when someone is truthful, people are taken aback...sometimes to the point of being horrified. When did this happen? When did being a light go out of fashion? When did being dishonest become the status quo? I can only use examples from my own experiences...my own life...my own precipices, if you will.
One area where I see this issue played out repeatedly, is in my dating life. I know, I know...but remember, I'm speaking from my experiences. Yes, I have used, and continue to use, online dating sites. The trouble is that it is so very easy to hide behind a computer screen and try to become something you are not. You can tweak your profile to appear as if you're the most loveable, dateable, magnanimous person around, when deep inside you're unsure, insecure, and sometimes (seemingly) even unstable. People put up (what they consider to be) the best pictures of themselves. Men go shirtless (most often when they shouldn't!). Women show cleavage. All in hopes of snaring that elusive thing we call love. What happens though, is that love gets cheapened. Hurried. Turned in to the illusion of what it's meant to be, instead of what it actually is. And, the way that online dating sites are set up, encourages a meat-market mentality. "Well, this one's nice, but if I just click one more time..." It's never ending. And, it's all illusion.
Infrequently, a person runs across someone who just seems real. But it's tough to believe it, because the darkness that compulsively deceiving masses brings makes you do a double take when you even think you might see a glimmer of truth (light).
Which precipice are you standing on the edge of today? Is it some major life decision? Or, is it simply telling someone the bold truth? That is a precipice as well. And, when we aren't truthful, we leave things unfinished for others. Like we purposely leave them nearly dangling from a precipice we created when we chose not to be truthful! The message is simple. Tell the truth. Take a stand. Be the light in the darkness.