Bits & Pieces of This & That

Just Payment
Some things are sad in the extreme, and finding the meaning for them impossible. I let myself feel fully the sadness such events earn, not as punishment, but as the cost we are sometimes asked to pay for the delight of loving someone. My mind was made up long ago about the importance of letting my feelings matter, so even the most painful emotions are embraced as relevent to my wholeness.

If the price I have to pay is, from time-to-time, more than seems quite fair, holding the delight of the rewards close to my heart only serves as a reminder of why the pain is so intense. The pain becomes less of a burden and more of an honor when viewed as just payment for real love.

Believe!!!
Our ability as a species to overcome adversity is what legends are made of. Pick up any history book, and you will find portraits of people who started with nothing and changed the course of human history. A common thread runs through every tale. None of them were content to settle for traveling the easy road. So do not simply settle for less than what life offers. You may not change the world at large, but your personal space will certainly alter in ways never imagined in your wildest dreams.

Draw your own lines. Set your own limits. Do not just stumble blindly when the crossroads of life appear on your horizon. Look without fear down all possible avenues, choosing the one that leads to success no matter how treacherous the road appears to be. In life the easiest paths often lead straight to dead end destinations. I would climb endless mountains to reach happiness, before I would be satisfied to walk even a short distance over smooth roads to arrive at nowhere.

I have been there before, and have no wish to revisit. If a life of circles is enough to amuse you then circle on alone, but I seek a broader path to follow. When I am a very old woman, I want to remember the battles waged to become who I am. Every time I face a fear or heal a pain I grow stronger. I believe in the eternal strength of the human spirit to survive not only in spite of adversity, but also because of it. I beleive in my own ability to face and deal with any situation that really living my life brings. I believe! Believe!

Bootstraps
Finding your bootstraps is a long process, learning to use them takes tons of practice and attention to detail. Any encouragement received oils the wheels, which drive that train, so my gift is the oil of my experience to make your journey smoother.

Like snowflakes we are each different in nature, appearance, and experience. Our struggles follow suit, cut in assorted shapes then stretched to a pattern made unique by the way we wear them. Struggling without hope is a sure road to life's dead-ends, where even turning around is impossible, so I offer what hope I possess as a way to light your way.

Finding your true potential as a human being is a never ending battle to be free of the things, which try to slow us down, but teach us nothing useful in the process. Sometimes we fight others for control, but the hardest battles are often waged against ourselves. Recognizing whom you are struggling with lets you arm yourself with the proper weapons necessary to make all battles fair fights that you have an even chance of winning.

Any life worth living is rich in both pleasure and pain; the real trick is in learning how to avoid letting the pain of today steal the pleasure of tomorrow. Embracing pain when it comes is not the same thing as wallowing in it. Sadness is not banished once you master your bootstraps, but it does not remain an enemy when it is used as a tool to broaden your self awareness. I do not pretend to know all the answers; hell, I am not even sure I ask all the right questions, but I am certain that it is much more important how you face your problems than what face they wear.