Picture this. A 22-year old actress who has won an Oscar, is asked at her press conference: “You’re awfully young to have so much success so far. Do you feel it’s a good thing? You’re not worried about peaking too soon?”
What can she do, but smile, give a baffled grimace and say, “Well, now I am.”
Fortunately, this did bring much laughter, as did her answers to other questions. When I watched this, I thought Jennifer may well have wished she was being questioned by Caesar Flickerman instead.
But this enquiry to the actress who played Katniss in The Hunger Games and has now won as Oscar for her performance in Silver Linings Playbook led me on to these reflections:
How can a young person ever feel they’ve ‘peaked too soon’?
What is she to say? “Oh yes. I’m terrified I’m going to suffer burnout at 30.”
For Jennifer Lawrence, as with any talented, creative young person in a similar position, the recognition she has already received is simply something that has happened to her, which is good, and which she receives with pleasure.
“Peaking too early” and “burnout” are concepts only people with decades of experience in this life can ever grasp.
Many writers and philosophers have spoken on the subject of time.
Here’s one for both Jennifer Lawrence, and the hapless journalist who questioned her:
Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift of God; which is why we call it the present (Bil Keane).
scskillman.com 
Reblogged this on MMM… Meditation, Mental health, Mindful crochet.
Thank you for reblogging my post on Jennifer Lawrence – much appreciated!