On What’s Most Important

Fame. It’s not all it’s cracked up to be.

I work with famous people on occasion when I’m on a film or TV set. And what I’ve observed is the pressure they endure on a daily basis, trying to uphold a standard that the public has set for them. It is tiring, taxing and at best, unnerving. Everyone has an opinion of you and if you aren’t in the best of moods, it somehow lands in the tabloids the next day.

My sister once said, “I’d like to be just left of the limelight. In the mix, but not in the public eye.”

I see what she means now.

The other day I had the chance to drink champagne with several celebrities, but after a day’s work in a dusty studio that smelled of manure and pyrotechnics, I was ready for a shower and some pizza with the kids instead. So I drove the hour home, racing through the door with a heightened level of excitement to see everyone again, only to find my family busy with their iPods, laptops and television sets.

Enter the feeling of let down. It’s what my friend Donald calls the moment of doom right before you enter your familiar space at home. You know it will be different than you hope it to be, but hope dies last, as they say.

It wasn’t until we had assembled at the dinner table an hour later that I realized why I had run home instead of sipping the bubbly with the stars. It was a moment of belly laughs and connection and jokes with the kids that I wouldn’t have missed for the world. It may have been slower in coming than I had wished, but the love was there all along beneath the distraction of our digital world.

Fame can’t give you that. Family can.

7 Comments

  1. FindYourParadigm.com

    September 20, 2012 at 11:41 am

    The emotional support of family is so important. Somehow, I got in with the wrong family! LOL It’s all good. I’ve learned that living my dream is good enough for the most part and not to look for external support. But you’re exactly right, sometimes it’s the little things in life that take our breath away and give us our most memorable moments. I love your posts! =)

    1. powerofslow

      powerofslow

      September 20, 2012 at 2:29 pm

      Family is indeed a two-way street. Sometimes it is hard to get your own needs fulfilled while you are busy fulfilling everyone else’s. But truth be told, when we take time for ourselves, they miss us. And realize exactly how much we do for them when we’re not there.

  2. aalif

    September 21, 2012 at 2:25 am

    Nice post. I know this feeling exactly being a creative producer for films. Spending time with some celebrities is fun bcos they are smart, funny and kind people… But I see the stress they go through in a world where their identity is built on the shifting sands of public perception.

    1. powerofslow

      powerofslow

      September 22, 2012 at 4:38 am

      Agreed! Thanks for your comment!

  3. Suzanne

    September 21, 2012 at 6:12 pm

    Love it, says your sister. 🙂

  4. Donald Pillai

    September 25, 2012 at 10:40 am

    To us, family means putting our arms around each other and being there.
    Someone once said, “ Families are like fudge – mostly sweet with a few nuts”.
    I love that fudge with nuts in it. Without nuts it’s never the same.
    You know that even though we may go through many trials and tribulations the love of a family remains life’s greatest blessing.
    Life is short, family is forever and Family is a gift that lasts forever.
    In all reality, we just need the ones that care and love us in the end. Because they will never let us stand in a storm alone.
    How grateful we are for special friends who are just like family. We are blessed far beyond our greatest imagination.
    And we know too well that we could never neglect our family for our businesses.
    We remember too that our children are like mirrors as they reflect our attitudes in life.
    Families are our best Friend. When we are in pain. In hard times. In times of need, we always like their hand to be placed on our shoulder and say “It’s ok”. This is what family is all about. Being there for you, for us, for them!!.

    1. powerofslow

      powerofslow

      September 25, 2012 at 10:47 am

      I totally hear you. It is so true. Thank you for being a part of my family, Donald!

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