Sometimes it’s good to remind ourselves of our perspective from years ago. This week I’m sharing a column I wrote for Thanksgiving week in 2012. It’s about what we should be giving thanks for this week – family, friends and faith.
The hospital waiting room was crowded. I looked around at people from all walks of life, and I wondered about their stories. For many, the pain and concern was clear on their faces. Some were obviously tired. One or two seemed almost inconvenienced.
Each knew someone who was going through an experience that could be life-changing in a good or bad way.
In such a crowded room, we all can feel so alone.
There are many such times in our lives when we feel so helpless. Often, it’s when we lose control. Not when we are out of control, but when we no longer are able to have things exactly the way we want them.
So we sit and wait anxiously. Or we worry and fret.
Sometimes we hope and pray, but probably not often enough. That would make things easier, but our human weaknesses get in the way. Instead of trusting and believing, we doubt.
Peace can be hard to find, usually because we turn it away when we separate ourselves from those who can help and support us. And yet, for those brief moments when we let down our guard and find it, the feeling exceeds all that we can imagine.
It’s not just those troubles that find us that cause pain and disappointment in our lives. It’s also the situations we create. There are so many things we can accomplish in our lives, so many battles to win and mountains to climb. Often we make them so much harder than they are.
We have such high expectations for ourselves and for those around us, so disappointment becomes almost inevitable. It would be so much better if we could plan for the future, then accept things as they come. We never know what is around the corner. Those times let us know how powerless we are.
Our outlook on life often is shaped by how we deal with those challenges.
Life has been described and defined by many people throughout history. Here are a few descriptions I have found, formed and come to believe.
Life is like a roller coaster: It has ups and downs, excitement and fear, fast and slow times, twists and turns. We can choose to hold on or ride hands-free.
Life is like a football game: We have to depend on others around us to reach our goals. Sometimes they share our pain or celebrations, and sometimes we own them alone. Sometimes we choose to run through obstacles, other times we pass around them. There often are others surrounding us who will cheer us on, if we’re willing to hear them.
Life is like a hike in the woods: Regardless of how well our route is planned, we can get lost along the way. There are so many challenges and struggles that we often are tempted to quit. But if we’re willing to continue, one step at a time, we eventually will reach our destination and the satisfaction that comes with what we’ve accomplished.
Mostly, I’ve come to believe that life is all about change. We make friends, then we drift apart. We raise children, then they go off to raise children of their own. We focus on careers as a bridge to retirement. Too often along those journeys, we focus on just the details and fail to consider the bigger picture.
We have goals and dreams, and we have wants and needs. What we get is reality. Along the way, we face disappointment and hurt.
I don’t believe life is only what we make it. Life also is how we handle it.
Where do we turn when challenges and trials overwhelm us?
For most, the solution rests with friends, family and faith.
I’m thankful that there are times such as this when I slow down long enough to reflect on where I’ve been, where I am and where I may be going. Sometimes I find those outcomes are not always what I hoped for or expected.
I want to be a person who looks at things only from a positive perspective. I try. I admit, however, that it doesn’t always happen.
So if you see me and I seem a little down, know that it may not have anything to do with you. You may want to offer a little encouragement through a kind word or a smile.
And I’ll try to do the same for you.
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