And while I'm cheap and enjoy the
steady process of caffeine addiction, you'll have enjoyments all your
own. Cue the warm fuzzies.
Common wisdom says you are defined by
how you respond to the tough stuff. Its trial by fire. Being friendly
and well balanced isn't difficult when life is cruisy. But notch up
stress and increase the pressure - what you choose to do then will
show whether you have the endurance to resist curling up in a fetal
position behind the freezer.
I knew some people from high school who
had to grow up fast. Some of them lost parents and had to step up to
responsibility at home. Others had long term illnesses that took away
any certainty from their future. I can't pretend to make any
judgments from the outside, but from where I stood, there seemed to
be a line that divided those who kept standing, even while trembling
- and those who ran clear away.
If I had to put money on which way I
thought some of them would respond, I would have been wrong. The ones
who annoyed me the most and the needy hangers-on took on huge burdens
and responsibility without complaint. Others, the ones who I'd pick
as being the most together, buried themselves in booze and drugs just
so they didn't have to face what was going on. I still know a lot of
people who are still waiting to come out of that place.
Life is never going to be perfect and
situations that shake everything you've stood on can come up out of
nowhere. What we do in the dark places where there is no punishment
or reward will force us to come to terms with who we really are. It
also sets a base for how we will cope to the events that will hit us
in the future.
No-one's got it all together. Life
overwhelms all of us at times - sometimes with despairing
frequency. But even if we're crushed under the weight of
circumstances we can't change we always have the option of how we'll
respond. If you choose to take off you might never stop running from
life's problems. But if you turn to face it you'll prove your
character and come out better in the long run.
Like I said, there's always trouble,
but it doesn't last forever. What will we choose to do while it
lasts?
