Bring Down the Curtain

The scene is over and the curtain drops.  It won’t, however, stay down long before it’s raised again on another scene and the story continues.  A script is divided into acts and then even further into scenes, each with the purpose of pushing the story along until that final curtain call and then the show is over.  It is then up to those watching to determine whether it was worth sitting through or not.

Sometimes, something will go drastically wrong during a scene and the curtain will be dropped prematurely, keeping it from getting worse.  It could be technical difficulties that need to be fixed before the scene continues.  It could be an accident on stage or just a major blunder blowing the scene entirely.  The curtain falls to keep the story from becoming more of a catastrophe than it already is.

As we’ve talked about the script you’re writing for your life, we mentioned how it will be made up of a series of scenes that move your narrative along.  Some scenes, however, will need to be weighed as to whether they are worth continuing or need to end, so that another can take over.  Just as you looked at your cast of characters and decided which ones were not healthy for your storyline, you will need to examine each scene with the same criteria.  Life is too short to continue with something that isn’t working or is disturbing the rest of your story.

How do you see your life going?  As I construct my personal world, I aim for a certain level of harmony with those around me as well as a peace and calmness in daily living.  It is this quality of life that I use as a standard by which I judge the scenes in my life.  Surviving this world comes with its own drama and I choose not to deal with anymore than necessary.  I prefer to keep it in my fiction, and not deal with it in my reality.

For this reason, some of the characters filling my story had to be cut.  They created drama, too much drama, disturbing the peaceful balance of my script.  As I brought the curtain down on the scene that was wrecking havoc on my narrative, I left it down on those that prefer to create tension in their storylines with other characters instead of dwelling in harmony.  I refuse to be pulled into the childish bickering and back stabbings that remind me of high school existence. I don’t want it.  Furthermore, I don’t need it.

Neither do you.  No one does, really.  When friends or coworkers try to bring you into their overdramatic scene, bring down the curtain.  Quickly.  Stop it before it gets you in an irritated fluster and you find yourself pacing and chewing Tums like candy. 

While a good novel requires tension, the script of your life does not.  Put an end to the scenes that disturb the calmness of your life.  Avoid the drama that distracts you from your dreams by kidnapping your focus in what doesn’t really matter.  Live the script of purpose you’ve written and do not allow yourself to be sidetracked from achieving your goals by other people’s chaos.  Bring the curtain down on the nonsense, and then raise it up again with a determination to continue the story that brings peace to your life.  Your tale might even last longer.

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