Friday, March 26, 2021
In every good story, something ultimately goes wrong. What’s the point of watching a movie, if there is not some challenge that the characters have to face? Most of us don’t allow our life’s stories to change us. We avoid going through the slippery slopes of life. I keep a daily log of what I do, and what happens to me, each and every day. I am astounded at how ordinary my life is – filled with content of the most uninteresting things. If my life were a movie, it would be a snooze fest. But over the course of my life, there have been life-threatening events, health scares, loss of loved ones, financial insecurity, and plenty of moments for despair, confusion, hopelessness, and drama. If we don’t allow those rare instances of challenge to transform us, they will become overwhelming and make life unbearable.
As you age, life has a way of becoming copasetic. You learn that challenge has come to you before, and it has arrived with varying degrees of severity and frequency. However, you learn that it doesn’t have to be feared. It just needs to be educational, transformative, a reminder that we are not in control of the outer reality. Challenge does not have to break us into a thousand pieces, but it can remind us of life’s fragility. Think of the amazing people who have endured unthinkable circumstance. Many people have come through storms and fires that most of the world will never have to go through. But if today, your life is ordinary, plain, simple, and easy, that is surely something for which you can be grateful. You’re safe. You’re comfortable. You’re happy – that’s not such a bad story after all, is it?