Ellen Degeneres was on Oprah yesterday, and I’m sure many of you saw it, heard or read about it. I’m a huge fan of Ellen’s and I find her heart genuine and endearing. I had not heard the story of her coming out before, and my heart ached at the injustice in the world.

Injustice

The network canceled the original Ellen show a year after her coming out. Having been on the air for six years, Ellen had to learn from her assistant that the trades were reporting her show had been canceled. The network gave her no advanced notice. She didn’t work at all for the following three years and she was running out of money.
She begged station managers to pick up her current daytime talk show but she met with the same response over and over… what does a gay women have in common with housewives who watch daytime TV. There was a period of time that she thought no one would ever buy it. But with conviction and perseverance she has the success and respect she so deserves.
Although she was scared and depressed Ellen held onto the believed that it is though these trials that life bestows upon us that we are given the opportunity to soul search. It is an opportunity to find out who we are, “Not who you are when everything is great but who you are when everything is taken away from you and you have nothing.”

Reality

As we look from the outside in at the lives of others there is a part of us that thinks “Why can’t my life be that easy?” But in truth most people have a story that includes challenges that have had to be over come. The success comes in doing exactly what Ellen was talking about…finding out what you are made of when everything is stripped away.

On a Personal Note

Emily, my oldest who is studying in Argentina wrote me a long email yesterday. She was tired of trying to find the silver lining in the difficult situation that she’s been facing on a daily basis. Although she is grateful for the opportunity to study in a foreign country her circumstances have been less than favorable. Over the course the last few months she has told me on multiple occasions that at the very least she was learning what was really important to her. Her challenges have caused her to look within for courage, strength and commitment in order to not succumb to the overwhelming disappointment and frustration. But yesterday she just wanted it to be okay to say “This sucks!” and not be made to feel guilty about saying it.
I couldn’t be prouder of her. She is an inspiration to me everyday as she demonstrates in her life the courage and grace to face adversity. But what I love and find most profound is her ability to recognizes the need to be human.

In Conclusion

I’m sure some where along the road Ellen too spoke those same words out loud. But it is what you do afterwards that defines who you are.
Ellen says she works hard to try and see the big picture and at not being stuck in ego. She puts it so beautifully that order to do it justice I’m just going to quote her. “I think there is a energy and a spirit and a soul and there’s an intelligence that we can’t possibly fathom and I want to be connected to that and not stuck in my own little world.”
Life is full of challenges and very few if any have it easy all the time. We have to make a choice as to how we want to experience life…and it takes work, but it still can be fun, it is really a choice. Sometime we do choose to say “it sucks”, that’s okay too…just don’t stay there very long.
I was touched by Ellen’s interview. It is my belief that it is the integrity that she chooses to defines her life by that shines forth and to which we are drawn to. It is her truth that manifests the joy and the success she has achieved, and I thank her for being that beautiful light in this often too dark world.

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