Unexpected
Stuff
“The
pessimist reasons that things just happen, where the optimist believes that
things happen for a reason.”
Anthony Liccione
I don’t
know about you, but in my life, unexpected stuff happens. I’ll be going along,
having a perfectly normal day and then somebody cuts me off in traffic, or I
drop a bowl of soup on the kitchen floor, or some other first-world problem
happens, like water in my basement or a leaky roof. Suddenly, I am the very picture
of a raging witch. My mood can turn on a dime.
I consider myself an
optimist, because I like to attribute meaning to events. I
think finding meaning, especially positive meaning, is one way of exercising
some control over the seeming haphazardness of life. Now, mind you, we don’t
really exercise control over any aspect of life, but attributing meaning gives
us at least the illusion of living a purposeful existence.
Finding meaning in the
events of your life is the opposite of believing that stuff just happens to you,
or, God forbid, that life is terribly unfair and has it in for you. Pessimism
is toxic. It simply poisons our days. Life seems to be random until you scratch
beneath the surface. When we begin to ask questions—such as Why? What caused this?
Why me? answers begin to flood in. If
people are cutting me off in traffic, for example, it’s probably because I’m
going too slow, and causing a blockage in flow. Furthermore, I’m going too slow
because my head is somewhere else. In other words, there’s a reason people get
frustrated enough to cut me off in traffic.
Stuff happens in every
life—rich or poor, white or black, weak or strong—we honestly can’t control
what life brings. I could walk out my front door today and be struck by lightning.
The very best I can do is be at peace with whatever comes. And as Rumi says in
his poem, “Guest House:” (abridged version; translated by Coleman Barks)
“Being human is
a guest house.
Every morning a
new arrival.
A joy, a depression,
a meanness,
Some momentary
awareness comes
As an
unexpected visitor.
Welcome and
entertain them all…
…The dark
thought, the shame, the malice,
Meet them at
the door laughing,
And invite them
in.
Be grateful for
whoever comes,
Because each has
been sent
As a guide from
beyond.”
Rumi must have
been an optimist, too. I hope your life has meaning today.
In
the Spirit,
Jane
No comments:
Post a Comment