Has anyone ever seen the movie ‘Good Luck Chuck?’
It’s not what I would call wholesome. It’s actually a little vulgar, but if you have seen it and relate to it in any way, then you will be able to relate to my column this week.
So, basically in this movie there is a guy and after every woman dates him, she goes on to find her true love. The main character, Charlie, refers to this as a curse. A lot of women find out about him being a ‘good luck charm’ and they seek him out to date him because they know that as soon as they do, the next guy will be her ‘true love’ and the guy she goes on to marry.
Charlie is just seen as a stepping stone.
The literal meaning of steppingstone is what most are familiar with: a large stone or line of stones in which one could walk over to get from one place to another.
Another way a stepping stone could be described would be something that helps someone advance or achieve something. (Like Good Luck Chuck)
There could be millions of different types of these stepping stones, in many forms, throughout someone’s life. For instance, a certain job could be a stepping stone to a better one, playing in the minor leagues could be a stepping stone to go to the major league, getting engaged is a stepping stone to marriage, or even a person could be a stepping stone, like Charlie.
The thing with stepping stones is that they are often forgotten. We are always standing on that stone, not exactly enjoying it because we are waiting for something better.
From an early age, we are always asked what we want to be or accomplish when we grow up – a pre-destined vision of what we want our lives to look like. Most people view life in three dimensions: the past, the present and the future. But only have a clear view of two of those, the past and the present. We can look back all we want, but alas we only have influence over one of those and that would be the present.
As we walk along this path called life, we leave behind us a trail of stepping stones, each one mapping out the journey we have been on. If we take the time to look back and reflect, we may feel sad, grateful, joyous, angry, etc.
Although we don’t know what the next steppingstone may bring, we can at least hope that we have learned enough from the past to handle whatever the future steppingstone may bring your way.
The only thing I know is that the stepping stone I now stand on firmly is solidified by happiness and I am no longer consumed by my past because it is what landed me here and cannot be changed. I am no longer overwhelmed by the future because I will be too busy honoring the promise I have made to myself and others that I encounter to leave a little love behind along the way.
I am standing firm on this stone with confidence knowing that it will lead me to something better. I won’t look back at this stone in despair. Instead, I will appreciate all the knowledge and lessons it’s instilled in me.
(Paige Gurgainers is a mother of three girls, publisher of Bienville Parish Journal and Claiborne Parish Journal and a digital journalist for Webster Parish Journal.)
