Crossing the Threshold

Mat seeking apotheosis and upping her fishing skills...

Mat: "Human, please, enough with the soul-searching angst: it's becoming quite tedious."

Human: "Mat, I realize this, but I think perhaps, others have been in this place, too, so maybe if I write about it, they will know they're not alone. Indulge me once again, my little pixelated pixie."

Did you ever wonder what it might be like to be the lovable sidekick, and not the hero? To be Patrick, and not Spongebob? Ron, not Harry?* (Hermione would be okay.) Donkey, and not Shrek? The roadie...never the rockstar. Always a bridesmaid...

Speaking of which: 

Years ago, Mat's human's best friend, the best friend from age 13, was getting married. Her friend had worked so diligently on academic success, career choices, and finding a love who was equal to her in intelligence, ambition, and humor. Mat's human was exceedingly happy for her. Words are limited, though: there needs to be another word beside envy or jealousy, because those connote a certain "I don't want you to have it either" feeling, and that was not the case. (If anyone knows of this word, please leave a comment.) When her friend and her husband-to-be were at the alter, and Mat's human was by her side, she sobbed. Not just little tears, but really cried. She was teased for this--she wasn't loud (she is a very pretty crier: many have told her this), but it was obvious she was crying in her bouquet. She defined what she was feeling later: her friend was going somewhere she couldn't go. She was crossing a threshold into a new life and role that Mat's human simply wasn't ready for, or had the means to follow. Having shared every experience of growing up, from adolescence onward, sharing every part of the journey, and then her friend, her very dear friend, went through a portal that was locked to Mat's human. 

The story does have a very happy ending. Everything comes in time. We are the heroes of our own journey, and more in control of our destinies than at first perceived. 

And remember, none of us can do it alone. Odysseus'* hubris cost him his shipmates. He ended up going it solo. And although he reached his destination, Penelope was waiting for him, he received the keys back to the castle, and all was well, I'm sure the families of the sailors weren't too pleased. When our narratives ripple into one another's we don't want to muddy things up by trying to be everyone's everything. It's perfectly wonderful to be our own heroes for a bit, and then meet one another on equal footing. If sometimes I must be the sidekick, a Sam to a Frodo*, so be it. That is what friends do. You have your own story to tell, to share. Please tell it.

*And if you don't know who these are, read a book. And not just the ones in the Ironforge library.

Theme song: "Princess in Another Castle" Alpine Hong