Life is hard

Life is hard.

Everyone says it. You hear it everywhere. All the time. It must be true. A given. Right?

It's not.

Life is not hard. Life happens whether you want it to or not. And life does what it wants - not what you want, particularly.

You are given this life. It is truly the ultimate gift in this world. Do not take advantage of it. It WILL take care of you in the way you need to be taken care of. Keep in mind, this may be different from how you feel you should be taken care of. You will be dealt challenges. You will encounter obstacles. Life creates the real you by altering your thinking via these obstacles and challenges. And every issue you come through is a gold medal around your neck.

To me, the most interesting part of this process is that most people who are in the middle of a life changing event, don't really seem to realize the effect. They're not stressed out about it. They simply do what needs to be done. Once they've made it through, they are a slightly different, more enlightened person. It's an amazing process. I've dabbled in it a little myself (drug rehab in my teens) but the most prominent instances to me were with my sisters. Katie, having had ovarian cancer twice and complications associated with that; Lee, with her own drug issues and severe headaches since she was young; and Kami with extreme obstacles that I won't go into for personal reasons. Each one a life or death possibility. It changes you. It changes those who love you. And provided you make it through the other side and you're still here, there is an impact on your psyche - an understanding of just how precious this life is. It's a gratefulness that many take for granted. I do not.

Life is life. It is not hard. Nor is it easy. It just is. I am thankful for every day I am able to be here to witness it. For one day, my light will pass from this world and I will be on to the next life. The next phase of my life, if you will. And all of this will be a fleeting memory. Live in the moment and you'll never regret a thing. This moment is all you have. Take care.

Life is good.