Do you remember when you were 8 or 9 and playing with Barbie and Ken? You had an image of the life they were supposed to have and it played out everyday in your room or living room or outside by the ditch that was a "paradise oasis." Even as a young girl, we all had a vision of how life was going to be when we grew up.
Enter: Growing up.
Growing up is never fun. Though there are moments of complete bliss, fear, confusion, happiness, sorrow, ups and downs, somehow at the end of the day we come to the conclusion that growing up is never fun. The life that we had planned for ourselves wasn't happening. Maybe the life that was had envisioned was finally coming true but then one day you wake up and something has derailed the fairytale train. Life gives little moments of sweetness when you remember so strongly that wish you made on that star on that night and oh my goodness, it's coming true and... Wait, what's that? The train went off the tracks. The sweet moment life has handed us leaves us feeling as if all the wind has been knocked out of you. What happened to that vision you had? Gone. However, turn around and what's that you see? The life you were and are meant to have. Though it is NOTHING like you had originally planned and it went the complete opposite way of the wish that you placed upon that star, you have to take a step and walk.
As we go through life, we quickly discover that no matter how many plans are made or how many wishes are put on stars, there are paths that we are meant to take. Despite the curiousity and strength and chin up determination in hand, we have the hurt of the loss of what we have lost. But what are we really mourning? Is it what we indeed did lose or the hope of what we wanted is no longer there? I think if we were to sit and really think about it the hope is what we mourn the most. The "what could have been" sits with us and the "What If's?" and the "Just Maybe's" plague us like the second piece of chocolate cake that we should not have had in our moment of despair. Don't we all wish that the chocolate cake or that tub of ice cream would take away all of the questions with no answers like it takes away the diet we have been on for the past month. Questions with no answers. I am sure as you sit and read this you can come across one time in your life where you had a ton of questions and there wasn't a single answer to any of them.
Letting go of anything, anyone, any hope, any dream, even that pair of pants that has been your set goal, is never easy. You ponder every moment, every second, every minute, every hour of what you have lost. The key is to figure out how stop pondering and look ahead. There is that saying,
“When one door closes another door opens; but we so often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door, that we do not see the ones which open for us.” – Alexander Graham Bell
Every one of us has a door that has closed and sometime we glance back at it, try to walk past it and hope it opens, tip toe up to it and wiggle the door knob, knock on it, bang on it, take a huge pillar of wood and try to ram it open, kick it, lean on it and cry, and try to search with all of our might for the key that will open it. But if it's meant to be closed, there is no amount of human force or will that is going to open that door. The trick is to try and when you realize there is no getting that door open and no it's not jammed closed, you should look around and you will see that maybe there are a few doors open, some are slightly ajar, and some are closed but are unlocked. It is taking that step and saying, "Okay I will walk through that open door, peek inside that slightly open door, and I will wiggle that door knob to see if it is open."
“One problem with gazing too frequently into the past is that we may turn around to find the future has run out on us.” – Michael Cibenko
Today let go of what needs to be let go and hold on to everything that is worth fighting for. Learn the difference betweent the two and you will soon feel that relief.... The relief of weight that isn't on your shoulders, but on your heart. It is remarkable at the lightness your heart will feel and then you will see the door open, slightly ajar, or just simply unlocked is in there. The simple thing of allowing yourself, someone, or anything to walk through that door is the key to seeing what else is possible or waiting. The joy of life comes in the surprises that are never expected.
No comments:
Post a Comment