Day 116 - Higher Power Auditions

December 2nd, 2009

Let’s kick back to 1985, grab a Tab and enjoy the soothing sounds of Corey Hart’s “Never Surrender”.

Just a little more time is all we're asking for
Cause just a little more time could open closing doors
Just a little uncertainty can bring you down
And nobody wants to know you now
And nobody wants to show you how
So if you're lost and on your own
You can never surrender
And if your path won't lead you home
You can never surrender
And when the night is cold and dark
You can see, you can see light
Cause no-one can take away your right
To fight and never surrender

So yeah sha la la Corey Hart…but sometimes we need to surrender.

This is not the first time that I’ve disagreed with you Hart. First of all, your excessive use of hair product in the mid 80’s might single handedly be responsible for a fraction of the ozone layer’s depletion. It’s true. Al Gore told me. Next up, it’s just not necessary to wear your sunglasses at night. Come on.

The idea of surrendering to emotions often seems too stress ridden, intangible and grandiose to wrap our minds around.

I know many people who have regained their lives from 12- Step Programs. I would not declare myself an expert in any of the nuisances and discoveries that recovering addicts experience during this endeavor. However, I know that many of my friends would not have gained the strength to complete the program if it had not been for the idea of surrendering to a Higher Power. From what I understand, this is a power greater than ourselves and can be anything at all that we believe is adequate. Friends who have completed the steps claim that having their Higher Power has allowed them to restore their sanity, provide a defense and live in a new and wonderful world, no matter of the circumstances.

I love this philosophy.

I would imagine that many people have a hard time embracing the Higher Power concept as they might associate it with religious and new age concepts that aren’t in their circle of belief and comfort. I’m a visual person and I want to expand on the idea that this power can be anything we believe is adequate. As I’ve said before, we’re all the sum of our varying and unique experiences so our Higher Powers must be far ranging. They should be. Have fun with choosing yours. There are no wrong Higher Powers. Just people wrongly not surrendering because they haven’t found their Higher Power match.

I’m in the process of auditioning some Higher Powers for myself in the back of my local coffee shop. This is who I have lined up for today:

-Morgan Freeman
-Thin Elvis
-George Burns
-Charlton Heston as Moses( not gun wielding NRA Heston)
-Claire Huxtable
-A Native American with a tear in his eye
-Shel Silverstein
-Jesus
-Black Jesus
-A Solid Gold dancer
-Clifford the Big Red Dog
-Quaker Oats guy
-Any of the Village People
-The random old man who just patted me on the back as I was typing. He said, “I’ve seen you here. You’re a hard worker.”

This is an open audition and anyone or thing can try out. The only applications that I am not accepting:

-Kanye west
-Hitler
-James Cameron saying that he is king of the world.

Anyone who declares himself to be a Higher Power..is not a Higher Power. Watch your back.