Friday, June 4, 2010

Ripples In the Water Happen, Dag Nabbit!


Ripples in the water are inevitable. If you're like me, you are often caught up in a never-ending search for stability and contentedness. You may make decisions that get you a few steps closer...marriage, job stability, a mortgage, a dog or a cat...yet, life inevitably decides to test you. These "tests" can sometimes slap you in the face, or they can slowly materialize like pesky dust particles on the blades of a ceiling fan. 

I often just wish that just for a short amount of time that all will be fine. My relationship is at its peak. My family is healthy. The kids are behaving. The bills are paid. The cars run fine. I feel rested and energized. SLAP!! That's just a stinkin' fantasy, and as a mid-30s-ish adult, I should know by now that life "ain't like that!"

So, what to do when a rodent chews through your engine harness, your soon-to-be mother-in-law's declining health has landed her in the hospital, your family income has been halved, others in your family are struggling...and the world seems to be falling apart one oil-laden bird, one suicide bombing and one random shooting at a time? Fight. Suck it up. Search for solutions. Do your part to help. Lend support. Lend an ear. Give a hug. Shake a hand. Pray.

I guess my point is that, as an adult, all I can do is go on living my life the best that I can and be the best person I can be. I can't succumb to laziness, apathy, depression...and I sure as h-e-double hockey stick can't fold 'em!

Life is NOT a serene, glassy, ripple-less pond! We can throw rocks and sticks to cause more ripples, or we can let nature create ripples of its own...and learn to love 'em...or at the very least, accept them. Sometimes, they aren't even all that bad to look at!

Matt