Life isn’t fair, so get over it. I find myself thinking this more often than not. I’m so tired of hearing people lament about their lot in life. I’m sure some will think how can I possibly say this because we have been blessed in many ways. We live in a home with running water, a toilet (three in fact), heat, clothes in our closet and our pantry is full. Even our family is intact. By all accounts, we are in the top 1% when compared to the world. I’m even more fortunate because I have a dog at my feet and a cat in my lap.
Do we have everything we want? No.
Do we have everything we need? Yes.
Do I sound cold and less than sympathetic? Possibly.
You see, from where I stand, when I see families that have healthy children, in mind and body, and their life isn’t impacted by a disability, I think they have a lot to be grateful for, regardless of their financial stature. My daughter does not walk gracefully and she does not talk. We could choose to feel like a victim and say “why us”, but we don’t. Instead, of looking at what we don’t have, we realize what we do possess. This does not mean there haven’t been challenges. We do not complain and we only ask for help when it is the last stone to be turned. We’ve had the occasional pity party. Pity parties do have a purpose, it’s meant to reboot ourselves and kick our ass to the next level. They also remind me to buckle up buttercup. You see, one of the worst things in life is to be complacent and do nothing.
It seems to be human nature to want more than you have, but isn’t this what fuels ambition? Just because you do “everything right” doesn’t guarantee the outcome. Maybe the hard lessons are not about us, but how we affect the people around us? Maybe our life is all about learning to live in grace? It seems we are only given glimpses of heaven, on earth.
Over the years, I’ve lived hand to mouth and have done without. As a family, we don’t have many travel photos to share either. We helped others, sometimes at our own expense. In turn, we’ve had people reach out to us. Sometimes it was a needed break, change of place or memorable meal. At other times, people shared their talents or gifts that helped ease our burdens, giving us hope. Even so, it was after numerous medical challenges, we were given the gift of knowing what is most important. It’s our health and the wealth of people that come in and out of our lives. For us, we know it is God-centered.
In my lifetime, I’ve never seen the world more tumultuous. Cultures are clashing. People are pointing fingers at someone else for their misfortunes. Some play the Blame game and others Survivor. Maybe life is a cross between Dominoes and the never-ending game of Monopoly? Internationally, it appears to be a human Chess board where people get played, others sacrificed. Does the King really win if everyone dies in the process? I guess we won’t have the answers until our time is up. For now, I’m just trying to stay alive with the hand I was dealt. As Forrest Gump said, “life is a box of chocolates, you never know what your gonna get”… Yes, the candy analogy seems to fit perfectly, I will roll with that.
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