Life
Is Never Predictable
“The
way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain.”
Dolly
Parton
In
2004, I wrote these words in my journal: “Now, my life looks less like a wasteland
and more like a rich soup, made from good broth, simple ingredients, savory spices,
and fresh herbs. Most of the time, I can look back with gratitude, and ahead
with quiet resolve. Life will be what life will be.” I’m telling you this,
to let you know to never say, and especially don’t write down, audacious notions
like that! That same year, my elder son married a monster of a woman, my mother
had massive cancer surgery that she never truly recovered from, and my younger
sister died. All of that launched me on a four-year odyssey of burying the
dead, rehabilitating mother’s nicotine-soaked house, watching my son fall into
addiction, all while trying to keep a job and a practice in a state 300 miles
away. Don’t tell the Gods you’re in a good place unless you want all hell to
break loose. That’s just a little spiritual advice there.
Eleanor
Roosevelt said, “If life were predictable, it would cease to be life, and be
without flavor.” And I say, don’t worry about lack of flavor—life will
never be predictable. The true test of your grit is staying confident despite
what life throws at you. You must be swift on your feet, and clear headed; you
must never think you know what comes next or what to do when it does—you will always
be wrong. Instead, expect nothing. Keep your head up and your eyes open and be
aware of what is. And here’s the final piece of advice: Trust yourself. You
will know what to do when it happens. Just trust your gut.
It
helps to have friends who support you through good decisions and bad ones. It
helps to have love in your life along with everything else. And it helps to
have escapes—whether through creative outlets, travel, or something as simple
as a beautiful piece of music. Because right alongside all that chaos and heartbreak,
there will be moments of shear joy and awe and sights so beautiful they make
you cry. Because life is like that, too.
In
the Spirit,
Jane
No comments:
Post a Comment