Realization

This isn't exactly something that I'm thankful for but it's definitely something that I've come to the realization of, espeically in the past year or so.  And I've been reminded of it again in the past week.  It's also something that I'm working on coming to terms with.  But, I think it will always be a struggle for me.  Maybe it's a struggle for everyone.  If it is, feel free to share your thoughts and maybe I won't feel alone! Ok, are you ready for this?

Life is hard.

This may seem so simple, but yet it is one of those things that no one tells you about.  You have to learn this one on your own.  I think our parents try to protect us from this realization when we are young - by encouraging us to dream, to be successful, to pursue what we want.  Which I am very grateful for.  I wouldn't have wanted to spend my growing up years not wanting to grow up.  Why is it that we spend our whole lives wanting to be a different age?  When we're younger, we want to be adults - to drive, to do whatever we want, to not have to go to school.  When we're adults, we wish we didn't have the responsibilities of adulthood.

Things never go as you planned.  And plans continually change.  I've heard a quote - not sure of who said it: "The only constant in life is change".  Might as well get used to that one.  Things change, plans change, friends move, jobs move, jobs end, relationships change.  I'm slowly learning to be OK with this. Sometimes. Things happen all the time that we don't understand.  And to be honest, it's a good thing that we're not in control.

When I hear of friends losing their jobs (as I did this week), I return directly to how I felt the day I lost my job.  Whether it's for just a moment or for an entire weekend.  I can't help it, my heart hurts.  It's not often that I think about that day or the time afterwards but when I am reminded of it, I have a hard time getting it off my mind. I have learned (am still learning) to change my thought process.  To have optimistic thoughts, rather than immediately go to the doom and gloom of thoughts like "I'm not going to survive this!" I saw this earlier this week: "No, I'm not a pessimist. At some point the world craps on everybody.  Pretending it ain't crap makes you an idiot, not an optimist."

Haha! But in all seriousness - optimism is one of those things that the Waters family is not blessed with so it's something that I'm learning.  However slowly.

Marie