You will go through struggles in your life.
It's not a matter of if; it's a matter of when and how many. During those times, you will only have control over how you react and respond to your struggles.
The good news is that you can and will make it through them.
Do your best to stay optimistic and close to your family and friends during those times. But don't forget to be there for your family and friends when they are struggling. It's always nice to have someone to lean on.
I wrote this post sharing some of my life experiences because I'm a true believer you can find something positive in every difficult situation in your life.
You may not see or feel it right away, but I promise you, it's there.
No matter what happens in your life, something positive comes from that experience.
When I was 25 years old, engaged to be married, I was on a business trip in Seattle, and the next day happened to be my 26th birthday.
I started my day with no idea that my fiancee would later call to tell me she was seeing someone else and that our engagement was off.
I'd heard from other friends that something was going on with my fiancee and another guy, but when I asked, she said no. So I believed her even though I had my doubts.
So when this happened, I was devastated and angry at her for doing this to me. I told myself, how could she do this? I was in a stage of poor me; this is all her fault.
It took me a long time to realize I was also at fault and that there would be something good that came out of this situation.
She was right to break it off; we would have never made it because we had grown apart over the years, neglected, and taken each other for granted.
It took many years to realize she was right (I had to let a lot of anger go) in breaking things off. We had so many great times together, and she was terrific.
I took so many positive things from that relationship; I was thankful to be able to see her years later to apologize for how I handled things and thank her for everything we shared. We shared a laugh and found a little peace from our past.
This life lesson has stayed with me to this day; it takes two in every situation like this, and you cannot blame just one person.
If you have read some of my other posts (thank you if you have), then you know the saying from my grandfather, "life gives the test first, and lesson after." The key is to learn from your past experiences to understand how to handle things when something happens again.
We live life forward and understand it backward. Those are the lessons.
I don't care how old you are now; you will always be learning. Life is a continual learning experience, and that's a beautiful thing; embrace it.
I will tell you that as you get older and have more experience, some of those struggles become easier to handle. However, they will never go away.
Here is another life experience from when I was just 14 years old.
I've always had a soft spot in my heart and a fondness for the elderly.
They've seen and done so much in the world, yet many young people discount them.
I was a dishwasher at a retirement/care facility. Some of my friends (who did not have a job, but then again, I was only 14) would make fun of me for working there.
It wasn't easy when they made fun of me, but it was so rewarding; and I tried not to care what they thought, but at that age, fitting in and being accepted was so important, and I cared more than I should have.
It was amazing to work there and spend time with them; I know it meant a lot to them, but they might not have realized how much it meant to me.
Yeah, I just washed the dishes, but they were always excited to see me when I came to work, and I was excited to see them. Some never had visitors; they were all alone until they passed.
That is one thing I never want to experience. I do not want to be left alone in a facility until I move on to the afterlife.
Ironically, when my grandmother was 96, she was in that same facility, and I made it a point to see her whenever I was in town. But, of course, I also knew my family was visiting her regularly.
One day, I came into work, and my boss was sitting there (which was not expected); she asked me to sit down and immediately knew something wasn't right.
She said, we will have to let you go; we cannot afford to keep you. So I remember getting on my bike, riding home, and crying.
I was devastated; I had just lost my job, not because I didn't do a good job (that came later in life. lol), but because they had to save money. So I came home, slammed the door, and was soo mad.
My mother asked why I slammed the door and what was wrong. I told her what happened; she said those things in life happen, and there is nothing you can do about it.
I was so worried about what my friends would say, but my mother quickly reminded me that most of them had never worked before, so keep my head high.
There was a life lesson letting me know some things are just out of your control; all you can do is accept them and move on.
As you know or will learn, those lessons will continue throughout your life!
Always remember, there is no such thing as the right time in life, there's just time, and you get to choose what you do with it,
Thank you for taking the time to read my post, and as always, thank you for your time.
Be the Difference,
Paul
ZUP2U
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