We can be heroes just for one day

“Though nothing, will keep us together
We could steal time, just for one day
We can be heroes, for ever and ever
What d’you say?”

The song is about a boy and a girl on separated by the Berlin wall and no matter how much they are in love their love they can never be together. No matter how much they loved each other they were separated by a barrier that was insurmountable. I remember when the Berlin wall came down in 1990. I was in grade 10 and was just beginning to be curious about the world outside of what I knew about.

The wall was built to keep people apart, to separate people by beliefs. A problem that continues to exist in our world. The news and divisiveness like a reminder that we still have so much to learn about our behavior. To this day I can remember the images of celebration as the wall was torn down. The laughing, dancing, and parties that filled the streets that felt so loud that it was strong enough to overpower anything.

A replaying story

This sad love story has been told over and over in songs and movies. The impossible love and the lengths we will go to for it. The ending is always the same, that perfect moment when love is found and how the whole world is filled with joy and happiness. It’s like they forgot to show us how to keep it. Or they know what we can see in our everyday lives? That we stop trying the minute we have what we worked so hard to have.

What happens right after that moment when we have found the love we want so much? When it is there for us every day? How often do we put our loved ones last? Do we put things like work or school ahead of everyone we love?  How often do we allow small things to turn in the big things? How often do we place a wall between ourselves and our loved ones? A wall the size of the Berlin wall that is made out of unmet expectations and regrets.

“I, i wish you could swim
Like the dolphins, like dolphins can swim
Though nothing, nothing will keep us together
We can beat them, for ever and ever
Oh we can be heroes, just for one day”

What if we were free to play like dolphins living in the vastness of the ocean? And what if the strength of our relationships was held together by nothing? This has always been an interesting thought for me. What if we were free to do what we want when we want and choose to be together?

So often we discount our lives and the people in it as distractions, frustrations and the reasons we are unhappy. We are mad at our spouse for the one moment in the day that they didn’t meet our expectations and we miss the rest of the moments that they exceed them. We get frustrated at our kids for being kids. For grappling with growing up into who we expect them to be. We believe our friends have let us down when the cancel an event or when they are busy.

I remember the first time I saw Dolphins blowing bubbles and thinking they just had it all figured out. How had they managed to make breathing fun?

They live together in cohesion, each having their shining moments as they race through life. Together they hunt and defend each other. There is something so beautiful about how they glide through life. A sense of grace and dancing through the day, enjoying being side by side with the others around them. Each enjoying moments where they seem to fly through the air without the need for jealousy or competition from others.