Choosing to love what you’ve got now
by Wendy Keller
Have you ever had a day when you just felt frustrated? Or picked on by life? Or plain old grumpy? I woke up this morning in such a state. I had to remove myself from my negative thinking so I took a short drive up the coast. I figured the ocean breeze would wash it away.
But I came home an hour later feeling pretty much the same. Sat down at my desk, opened an email from a friend I’ve had for nearly 20 years. It’s his 65th birthday today. He wrote, “This is a new stage in my life. It’s a time to let go of dreams that I will now never achieve, and reconciling what I’ve done that I’m proud of…and what I’m not.“
He’s an eloquent, introspective man – part of the glue that cements our friendship. It made me think about my own life. How the month before my house burned down, one of my main goals was to own an even bigger one, on an even bigger piece of land. But it was just me and my daughter, and only one dog out of two survived the fire. Pretty soon after the fire, it hit me how much time and energy I’d invested in home ownership and grasping for that big dream house. Hmmm. Maybe not how I wanted to use my life span. Now, I’m happy with the beautiful place I rent.
What about you? Have you had dreams that now have to be re-adjusted to fit the Reality of What Is? That old thing about “When life hands you lemons, make lemonade” maybe has a bit of truth in it. As I invested mental energy into thinking about how much I’d changed my viewpoint since the fire, I also realize that all the frustration I was feeling this morning was based entirely on wishing things were different than they are. A client is going through some serious health problems and she is taking it out on me. Had I not caught myself and taken action, I’m sure I would have continued the domino effect and it would have ruined my day and that of everyone who dared to cross my path.
It’s hard to accept What Is when you don’t like it, but as the sages say, “What You Resist Persists“.
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Marion says:
I’ve been thinking a lot about whats left in my life now kids moved out, husband gone. Trying to find my own self again. This came at a very good time. Thank you. Keep up thegood work
wendy says:
Thank YOU, Marion. It sounds like a tough time in your life. I know things will smooth out as you treat yourself gently and look for friends and activities that nourish your soul.
Best wishes!
Wendy