The Vanishing Acts

I once read a book called The Vanishing Acts by Jodi Picoult. In the story, the main character’s name is Delia Hopkins. The whole world revolves around Delia; every character, every detail, every setting is a small puzzle piece added to the story that illustrates her life. No matter how profound each individual piece may be, they all exist solely to serve Delia. While reading, I found myself asking, “Well, why does it have to be this way? Why can’t the story be one that all the character share together, each piece playing an equal part?” Delia, as the main character, was not required to reciprocate even half the efforts the rest of the pieces of the story dedicated to her. Why would I expect her to? She’s the main character, after all. It’s her story. But I did. I expected her to contribute just as much to the other characters as they did to her.
Looking at my own life, I realized that I see Delia every day. I see her in the politicians I watch on the news, the self-righteous young women at church, the students waltzing down the
With each decision we make, we add a new page to our story. You are the main character of your story, just as I am the main character of mine. As the main characters, we write the story how we want it to be told. Who are the other characters? What purpose do they serve? What kind of person are you? Are you willing to take the risk to change? Line by line, we answer each of these questions through our thoughts and through our actions. Make the decision today, in this moment, to abandon self-instincts, to have integrity, to make impossible connections. Only by doing this are we able to write the story tomorrow will tell. I don’t know yet if I will change the world or change my mind, but whatever I do, I know the story will be completely