Life often makes us experts on topics we’d rather not know about – cancer, combat, financial downfall, sexual assault, divorce, death of a loved one and so on. We never wanted our life-focus to be in that direction. The life-changing situation was thrust upon us, and here we are.
For a rare few, although devastated by the event at the time, it was a mere blimp on their radar. They dealt with the situation and put it behind them.
Others get stuck there. They rerun and re-experience it endlessly. They are crippled by what happened to them, and everything else in their life falls apart.
Most try to turn at least a smidgen of their pain into something positive. They learn from the experience and pass on their new knowledge, helping others to get through a similar problem. They vow to live differently – in a more positive and meaningful way.
It’s not so much what happens to us but how we deal with our great challenges that make our life story interesting and memorable. We aren’t the only person to experience what we did, but that added to the rest of our experiences and personality, and how we use all, is what makes us special.
©2013, Mary K. Doyle