Nefertiti was an exalted ruler of Egypt; revered as a goddess-like figure. The bust was carved with care in exquisite detail; an homage to reverence, beauty and the divine. It was found in the artist’s studio in a trash pile. From goddess to garbage it was tossed aside as unwanted. Now it sits in a solitary glass case under guard as legend, or maybe just as historical legacy or fact.
Most of us will spend some part of our lives being cared for. At some point someone will see the divine in us and exalt us. At some point we will be tossed aside like trash by the very people who once cared for us and at some point we may be remembered for certain aspects of our lives.
I hope that we might all be worthy of exaltation, and that when the point comes that we are thrown away, we do not forget to still treasure ourselves. It is easy to see our turn in the trash heap as a tragic and unfair turn of events. But what if it happens to us all? I wonder if I can find anyone who has not been thrown on the trash by themselves or others? I doubt it. What if it is a natural part of life that we all endure? Maybe we could see it as the natural and temporary state that it is.
All glory is fleeting, and all misery is fleeting as well. In the end, all that remains is the truth of what was.
