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Today's
Meditation:
Haven't we all been more than a little bit frustrated
and aggravated by the people who, when we tell them how
badly things are going in our lives, say something like,
"Oh, it's not that bad"? Somehow, words
like those make us feel invalidated, as if our feelings
aren't being valued, as if they're simplifying something
that seems incredibly complicated and important to
us. The problem for me is that almost every time
that's happened, almost every time I've felt like the
world is collapsing and I'm out of control and someone has
said something like that, the person has been
right--things haven't been nearly as bad as I've imagined
them being.
The people whom I've known who have the greatest sense of
balance in their lives always recognize when a situation
is grave or difficult, yet they deal with it as simply
something to deal with. They don't try to fool
themselves by undermining the importance of what's going
on, and they don't lie to themselves by saying "this
doesn't matter." But they do go about dealing
with it in as positive a way as they can, recognizing that
this, too, shall pass, but while it's here, it's not going
to ruin my life or my peace of mind.
Our own perspectives are probably the most important
element of anything that happens in life. We do face
trials that are difficult, that leave us feeling hopeless
and helpless, but it is within our power to look at these
problems from a more objective viewpoint so that we can
see the silver linings that all clouds bear. Life is
difficult, I know, but I also know that in the
difficulties we learn our lessons, and every time we go
through something hard, we also have the opportunity to
learn and grow and evolve as people and as spirits.
We're in a world that's wonderfully created to provide us
with challenges that can help us to grow, and it's up to
us to recognize them as such and take advantage of them
when they come.
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