Bring the Pain

2019.

The world is insane and going to hell in a hand basket. So it’s been said.

It would be so easy to jump on the bandwagon of how troubling the times are in which we live. Too easy.

The problem with that is the necessity to stick to a few chosen areas of agreement regarding the negatives and resist the urge to acknowledge the positive. Too much positivity seems to make people angrier. I get it.

It was the best of times.

It was the worst of times.

As 2018 was coming to a close, I found myself struggling against feelings of panic and stress. I know from past experience that depression was not too far behind. A few areas of my life were undergoing a change and it was almost my undoing. I had to get myself in hand.

I often look back at a closing year with a nod to all the struggles. I look back at what happened that was wrong. I seldom look back with gratitude for the struggle and all that was right. More often than not, what seemed negative was something positive in disguise. Fancy that.

So I made a simple choice and I hope I remember it is a choice.

Embrace pain.

Embrace joy.

Embrace life.