Ripples

I just finished watching the You Tube clip of Susan Boyle singing, I Dreamed a Dream, from Les Miserables. I was so filled with emotion, it came spilling out as tears. This clip is affecting on so many levels. There are reasons it's gotten so much attention.

First, there is the song. It is one of my favorites. You can feel your soul being stroked by the music and the lyrics are heart wrenching. Then, there's the woman... a simple, unadorned, middle aged female in a frumpy dress with graying hair and bushy, dark eyebrows. She walked on to the stage to the rolling of eyes and the snickering comments of the judges and audience members alike. No one expected anything of her. Everyone was so certain some horrendous sound was going to exit her mouth. No one could have been more wrong. She opened her mouth and the angels sang. She opened her mouth and the universe spoke. The entire atmosphere of the place shifted. Everyone present shifted from a place of sarcastic judgment to a space where hearts were laid bare. Even Simon Cowell was moved. It was touching to see him rest his head between his hands, take a deep breath, and smile the innocent smile of a child. There was not a hint of his usual arrogance in that moment.

Susan Boyle uplifted everyone in that studio, as well as everyone who has watched that clip. For a moment in time, she reminded the world that not all good things come wrapped in pretty little packages. Talent is not only a property of youth. Authenticity is the home of true beauty. Having the courage to share one's gifts is what makes one truly special.

Will this small act of greatness change the world? If one person decides to open his or her heart to the possibilities existing outside of what society currently deems acceptable, or popular, a ripple has been cast. A change has taken place, and we are all the better for it.

This experience has reminded me, in a very profound way, that anything is possible and dreams do come true. I dreamed a dream in time gone by...I let fear claim it. I have felt the momentum of that ripple. It's time to create my own.