No matter what, today is always worth living. Yes, there will inevitably be insecurity, fatigue, uncertainty, embarrassment, desperation, betrayal, tragedy, and the like. Maybe all in the same day and maybe all at once. Regardless, no matter what…
We, as human beings, are ultimately defined and determined by our ability to boldly confront, deal with, and hopefully overcome adversity. I am aware this is at first much easier said than done, but once done, it’s much easier said and done the next time. So, here goes my best Dr. Phil…
Exercise: Think back to the last time you were dissatisfied in any way with the hand of cards life dealt you. This could be an hour ago when the old lady in front of you at the convenience store insisted on completing a deep-sea diving mission in her purse to pay for her denture adhesive with an expired coupon and exact change. Or, yesterday when the “Check Engine” light in your car you had been ignoring for months finally warranted more than a shrug and a prayer after it found you stranded on the side of the road miles from the nearest repair shop. Or, it may be earlier this week when you pulled your first all-nighter of the semester for a test you later found out covered a different chapter than the one you studied because you conveniently slept through class all last week.
Whatever it may be, how did it negatively affect you then? Probably unjustly and unreasonably. How has it positively affected you since? Probably not at all. After all, why would a temporary problem harbor any possibility for long-term benefit?
My point is simply, no matter what, today is always worth living. Because, no matter what, tomorrow is always worth looking forward to.
Life almost always offers us an E-ZPass to emotional equilibrium, so to speak. The good will balance the bad, the “wrong place, wrong time” will cancel the “I can’t believe it’s not butter,” and the heavenly will offset the catastrophic. If you don’t believe me, complete the above exercise instead with your most recent moment of elation. I think you’d be surprised at how quickly you can recall something, anything that makes you again smile.
More often than not, we allow ourselves to be completely controlled by events and circumstances that are completely out of our control. However true, our fortress of solitude is always protected by attitude and perspective, two things controlled only by the man in the mirror (shout out to the MJ song :). A difficult choice and a learned experience, but also a destiny we permanently and firmly hold in our own hands.
The next time you feel your glass is half empty, remember life is full of free refills…
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