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| You get a balloon: Yay! It flies away: Booo. |
Here’s what I love/hate: the facts of life.
This is sorta how my week went—a series of high/lows that
can’t be beat.
Monday, I got to go on a beautiful hike with a dear friend.
Yay!
But, the trails were swamp-like because of all the rain we
had over the weekend. Booo.
I got a lot done that day and felt accomplished. Yay!
Then, Abigail came out of school crying because of mean
girls. Booo.
Alexis had a play date with a friend. Yay!
I lost my temper with them when they were unkind to another
friend. Booo.
On Tuesday I had to mop all my hardwoods. Booo.
Our new and fabulous washer/dryer arrived. Yay!
I then proceeded with the six loads of laundry I had waiting
for me. Booo.
But, then Bill came home and took the girls out so that I
could go to the Bluebird Café to hear a friend sing. Yay!
However, my other friend was 5 minutes late and was not let
in to the sold-out show at the Bluebird, so I left too. Booo.
We made the best of it with Burger Up and Sangria! Yay!
On Wednesday, I did not get any writing done because I had
writers-block. Booo.
But, Bill and I had a quick date night while the girls were
at church. Yay!
On Thursday, I nearly ripped the side-view mirror off of my
car while pulling out of my own garage.
Booo.
But, I had sushi for lunch and got a ton done at home! Yay!
(However, not writing because I still had
writers-block.) Booo.
Then, last night, I could not sleep from 2am-4am. Booo.
However, I had to keep making notes on my phone of things I
thought of because I no longer had writers-block! Yay!
Isn’t that just how life is—a series of roses and thorns,
successes and failures, sweet moments and sad ones, loves and hates.
It’s a lot like a run outside—
You start off strong, running along.
Strangers smile as you pass.
Then a bug flies in your mouth.
The cool shade soothes your sweating shoulders.
Then you step in duck poop.
Your favorite song comes on.
Then the sun nearly blinds you.
The breeze smells like honeysuckle.
Then you hit a steady incline where you get out of breath.
And so on down the road.
Yep, it’s just how life is.
The writer of Ecclesiastes realized this—and the Byrds
popularized this sentiment back in 1965.
A time to weep and a
time to laugh…turn turn turn…
We tend to try to avoid the bad things in life—I mean, who
wants a bee sting or insomnia or a car accident?! Still, no matter what you do to try to avoid tragedy, it
always finds us. That’s just a
fact of life (according to a very old television theme song).
In all seriousness, it’s true. It’s impossible to avoid the terrible. Roses have thorns*.
*(As I re-read this post thus far, I’m beginning to wonder
if perhaps my writers-block has in fact NOT subsided since my writing seems to
have been taken over by clichés and 80s sitcoms. “Roses have thorns”!?
Really, who says that!? Oh
well, I’ll try to continue with my point.)
It’s what we do with the sadness and illness and
struggles we face—from broken nails to broken hearts, how do we handle it? Scream? Cry? Attempt to
escape? Blame others? Blame
God? Shake in fear? Explode in anger? Complain to others? Take it out on loved ones? Let it ruin our
day/week/year/life?
Sorrow and Disappointment are tricky cohorts. It’s important to acknowledge that they
are present, but it’s equally important to avoid letting them take up residence
and begin to control your entire outlook.
If they pay you a visit, whatever the reason, don’t slap on a fake smile
and pretend they aren’t there. Ask
them in for tea, learn from them, cry a while. But if you allow them to steal your hope, then Comfort will
flee and Bitterness will reign.
When that happens, our lives feel like darkness has won and we fail to
see the tiny glimmers of light and peace that still beckon us to try again.
How about you, what thorns have wounded you this week? Will you try again?
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