Will it Transform You or Break You?

In one of my daily journals, I recently came across the following quote:

"Misfortune had made Lily supple instead of hardening her, and a pliable substance is less easy to break than a stiff one." ~ Edith Wharton, The House of Mirth (1905)

This quote spoke to me. I have been thinking a great deal lately, about how we react to, and are changed, by the misfortunes that befall us in life.

I've seen many people become hard and bitter by the unfair things that have happened to them. I've seen other people accept and adapt to what comes their way.

Life has thrown me some curve balls I never would have expected. Some of them have been exceedingly unpleasant. As I have done my best to navigate these waters, I've had to face my options. I would have just cause to become cynical and bitter. I know I could go that route. But what good would that do me? Would it help me face today or tomorrow with any more skill or alacrity? I don't think so.

I've decided that these pitfalls and setbacks are just part of the normal road called LIFE. We all have them. They can either propel us forward, or we can allow them to drag us down.

I choose to use them to learn, grow and face today and tomorrow with a bit more wisdom and resilience.

THIS IS LIFE. I'm no different. I'm not going to have an easier time of it than other people get. I'm going to have my share of hardship and misfortune. It doesn't mean I'm being picked on. It means... I'm human, and I'm having my share of the normal "stuff" that comes with living this thing called human life!

Don't take it so personally. Everyone loses someone or something through the course of life. Everyone gets cheated and lied to at some point in their journey. Everyone experiences deep disappointment. Eventually, everybody gets shocked by the actions of those they trusted. Everyone gets treated unfairly at some point. It's not personal. It's life.

So what are you gonna do with it when it comes your way?

I say, you live, you learn, you chalk it up to experience... and you go forward with new knowledge. That's what I try to do!

Live, learn, grow, accept. It's what life is all about!