Everybody needs a Marley. If you have not watched “Marley & Me” (2008), please do so before continuing with this piece.
For all of us who have watched the movie, we know how an adorable puppy can grow up to be “the world worst dog.”
But it is not about the evil in the dog. There are many values that we can acquire from Marley himself when it comes to life.
Here is a puppy that attracts almost everybody’s attention when they first saw him. He is white, he is cute, and he is so huggable. However, as soon as time flies, the adorable puppy grew up to be a troublemaker, and eventually turn out to be a burden in the house.
Very often we tend to fall into the notion of smooth sailing journeys with our daily routine. As students, we get up in the morning guessing what day it was, we then move along with the flow as the day goes, and finally we lay back onto the same bed figuring what we should do tomorrow – there is not much of excitement that one could really look forward to.
Marley spices things up when life is dull. He is like that sweet cotton candy everyone loves for their childhood. If it doesn’t come in form of a puppy, Marley is represented by the friends around us.
A friend like Marley listens to your vents. A friend like Marley will never say, “OK, I have had enough of your rants.”
And then you meet that significant someone in your life. A song of “happily ever after” fills up your entire mind.
At this time you will probably think that Marley is a stumbling stone to your honeysweet life. Believe me, most of us do the same to our friends when we get into a romantic relationship. We try to get rid of the Marley’s that are “distracting” to the development of our love life.
Poor Marley, having been a faithful friend for years and all he gets is an “excuse me.”
Friends, be mindful of your attitudes towards your good companions even when you may not need them. Who knows they may be the one who will standby you when your loved ones don’t.
Finally, Marley has taught us the reality of life.
No one escapes from death. We all will have to leave this planet one day. Nonetheless, what really matters is if we have left our footprints behind. Have we planted the legacy for the future generation?
The life of Marley changed every soul in the house. Are we able to do the same? We need the Marley in us – to be an influencer for our loved ones. Leave no regrets to the day you lay on your sick bed because you know you have done your best being there for the one you cared.
Think about it, we all need a Marley in our lives.
