Honestly, my problem with celebrities is celebrities. Although I really don’t blame them. Many really believe their lives are more important to us than they actually are. But its our own fault. We put them and everything we think they stand for on some rarely obtainable pedestal.

I’ll give you an example. I was telling a friend about my desire to become a writer. And one of the first things he said was if I could get on the Oprah Show I’d be set for life, a true blue success. Really? Why is my success determined by getting on the Oprah Show? I mean I know why; its about the dollar, dollar bill y’all. If I get on TV that means being seen by the public, selling hundreds of thousands of whatever I’m peddling, moving into some grotesquely huge house and owning cars simply for the sake of being seen owning cars. And sure, I’ve fallen for that ideal tons of times. But we all know that’s crap (pure “pigeon pooping on your shoulder as you get out of the car” crap). So when I am tempted to consider myself a failure, I remember that true success is measured not by my public life but by my private behavior.

That’s not what we as a public do, however. We measure celebrities’ success by their public lives, their outward appearances, their houses and cars and interviews on the red carpet. We actually care what kind of bed they sleep in, what kind of stove they cook their burgers on, what kind of pool they put in their livingroom but never swim in. And then we pine away longing to be just like them. But what about what they do behind closed doors? How do they behave those few, rare moments when no one is watching? How do they treat the man who cleans their pool or the salesmen who sold them their stove? I’ve never witnessed it for myself but I can pretty much guarantee you that they act a fool just like everybody else. And I won’t mention any names but I think its about time we see celebrities for what they really are, regular people with a lot of money and attention who are just as bored as the rest of us. One day we’re going to get up off our lazy badunkadunks and decide to determine what we believe makes us a success for real.

Am I not successful if I live a joyful and spontaneous existence free of strife and regret? Am I not a success if I never own a five bedroom mansion or a Bentley but possess a house full of peace and a heart full of love? (and yes, I’m being corny, but you get my point) I just don’t care that much about being seen as some public, instant success story if my family and my children are falling apart. When do we grow the bolts enough to say that no amount of success is worth that? My family is seriously financially challenged (you like my political correctness? ) but I’ll be a monkey’s uncle if I spend another waking minute chasing “the American dream” of money, power, and success. And yes, I do believe one day I'll be raking in the dough but my success will have come long before that.

And you can believe that…