Friday, April 27, 2012
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
In an Instant
Imagine the moment comes when you get the news or you figure it out. That moment in time that makes everything different. You can't go back, you can't change it. Some things are happy. You get married, a child is born, takes his first steps, says first words. These are things that lead to bigger and better moments and we wait for them and cherish the memories or capture them to preserve that moment.
Some things are devastating like losing a loved one, or the doctor telling you there is nothing else they can do. You may lose a job, lose money or lose some valuable possession. These moments make it hard to remember the instant before the bad news. You can't turn back, it is irreversible. The pain and the fear make even the simplest tasks difficult.
What happens in between the mountaintop and valley. We try to remember those moments at the top but from the bottom of the mountain it seems unobtainable. We wonder how we ever got this low and forget that we ever stood at the top looking down. Life happens when we climb out of the valley and work towards the top. Falling to the bottom requires no energy at all, it just happens. Climbing to the top is almost impossible because we make so little progress that is reward is not worth the effort required. The truth is that we didn't get to the top because we hiked for days or years. It is that when we get a moment of clarity we look out at our circumstances and realize that we are not at the bottom and can smile for a moment. Our children will learn to walk whether we live in a mansion or in our car. People in every tax bracket get cancer. Life does not get better for the fortunate and worse for the less fortunate. We all go through moments, some are glorious and some are devastating. Our life does not teeter on a line that favors the rich or beautiful, but it happens to all of us. Think about the best thing that ever happened, then think about the worst thing that happened. Chances are good that today lies somewhere in between, so keep looking up. I was fortunate enough to be able to type today, who knows what tomorrow will bring. You are fortunate enough to be able to read it today. That is all that matters because life is about how much we appreciate the view we have, there is beauty no matter where you are looking from.
Some things are devastating like losing a loved one, or the doctor telling you there is nothing else they can do. You may lose a job, lose money or lose some valuable possession. These moments make it hard to remember the instant before the bad news. You can't turn back, it is irreversible. The pain and the fear make even the simplest tasks difficult.
What happens in between the mountaintop and valley. We try to remember those moments at the top but from the bottom of the mountain it seems unobtainable. We wonder how we ever got this low and forget that we ever stood at the top looking down. Life happens when we climb out of the valley and work towards the top. Falling to the bottom requires no energy at all, it just happens. Climbing to the top is almost impossible because we make so little progress that is reward is not worth the effort required. The truth is that we didn't get to the top because we hiked for days or years. It is that when we get a moment of clarity we look out at our circumstances and realize that we are not at the bottom and can smile for a moment. Our children will learn to walk whether we live in a mansion or in our car. People in every tax bracket get cancer. Life does not get better for the fortunate and worse for the less fortunate. We all go through moments, some are glorious and some are devastating. Our life does not teeter on a line that favors the rich or beautiful, but it happens to all of us. Think about the best thing that ever happened, then think about the worst thing that happened. Chances are good that today lies somewhere in between, so keep looking up. I was fortunate enough to be able to type today, who knows what tomorrow will bring. You are fortunate enough to be able to read it today. That is all that matters because life is about how much we appreciate the view we have, there is beauty no matter where you are looking from.
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