Follow the what

Sometimes I wonder if life is just a game of chance.  Other times I think it is a series of lessons.  Most of the time I think it is just important to hang in there and keep going.

No matter what else it is; it is mine.  I may only have a certain grade of clay to work with and I may have a few nuts and bolts missing, but as long as I have awareness I have responsibility - to myself first and then to those who look at me as if I know.

The most difficult thing I had to learn is that most of life is a choice.  Every decision I make has a consequence and the quality of my life hangs on balancing out good and bad consequences.

There is no reward for feeling bad.  It is not noble, or heroic, or even smart. 

That silly phrase, “when life gives you lemons make lemonade” has some real merit.  Only it doesn’t mean going around singing songs like, “Don’t worry, be happy.”  It means to “grab the bull by the horns” and take charge! 

Worrying really is just a way of tricking my body into thinking it is doing something useful when it is not.  Acting in a thoughtful, intelligent and purposeful way is very useful.  I always have options.

If there is a GPS in life it might be my “option locator.”  I am born and bred to follow certain ways, but they are not the only ways.  Sometimes I have to do things differently if I am going to thrive. 

Imagine a cactus growing in a tropical rain forest, or a tropical plant left out in the desert.  They are pretty much at the mercy of the elements, but I have arms, legs, opposable thumbs!  I also have a mind.  I could just stick that opposable thumb out and wait for a rescue, or I could start changing things.

For me the first place to start is by changing something in me, my thoughts, my actions, my direction.  Then I look at what is around me.  How can I change that?  The secret is not to give up or believe there is only one option.

Whatever this life is, it is mine.