Letting Go
“The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain.” Dolly Parton
Why are we naturally averse to wanting to go through bad stuff in our lives? When I was growing up and things did not go my way I used to say to my mother, “It’s not fair!” To which her response was always, “Who promised your life would be fair.” Even as a kid I would stop and ponder this question as if I could find a new answer, but I never did. The answer was always no one.
That is right, no one promised you that life would be fair. Sure, there are people at first glance who seem to have it all together, living under a lucky star, but believe me you would not be human if you didn’t have trials and tests, and just plain crappy stuff happen to you.
When hard times do come people tend to say, “Why do bad things happen to good people?” but I want to challenge you to ask the question “When bad things happen, how do good people handle it?”
Why do you think movies and books about people who have gone through something hard to come out on the other side so much better intrigue us? Because we know down deep, we all have issues. We all have trauma. Some troubles are of our own making and others are completely out of control, but stuff does happen, no matter how much you would love to avoid them.
Therefore, being able to let go and be prepared for whatever life throws at you is a great attribute and skill to learn. The sooner we realize that we have no control over things the easier life will become. Being a control freak only gives you gray hairs and frown lines and make you old before your time.
I used to be a control freak but over time I have realized I have become a person who prepares but is flexible, because as my mom used to love to say, “All the best plans of mice and men often go astray.” So why make myself crazy over what “could” happen. I need to focus on trying to get the best out of each day I am blessed enough to have been given. That is the secret to a good life when at the end of it you can say your good days outweighed your bad days.
I hope your rainbow is just around the corner if you are in a rainstorm now.
