There are many times in our lives when we meet challenges and weather storms that are financial, health, or just plain old well-being and happiness related. When these challenges happen, many times our friends or relatives will simply say to carry on, get through it, hunker down, or march on! While it’s nice to get encouragement, it still means you must get through the ordeal, either by yourself or with a loved one.
As we get older, we still learn new things and continue to grow through these new experiences, either good or bad, sometimes by choice, sometimes by necessity. Either way, it creates an opportunity for you to expand your horizons; we should embrace these opportunities as adding to our repertoire of life experiences.
I know that when on vacation, I always look for some activity or experience that I haven’t had before. Recently while on vacation in New Zealand, I had an all-day rafting trip down the Kaituna River, where we rafted down a 21-foot waterfall. What an experience! Some rafts made it, others didn’t and flipped upside down when they hit the bottom of the fall, causing the riders to be tossed out of the raft and swimming for shore. Fortunately, we made it through in an upright position with no unexpected “swim for your life.” Our guides made it clear that no matter what happens, keep going!
With the start of spring in March of each year, it’s a chance of renewal. While many northern states are still having winter weather, other parts of the country are seeing the trees bud with spring leaves and the weather finally getting warmer.
So, as we March into spring, try to start fresh and do some spring cleaning, either physically or mentally, or both. It’s our opportunity to wipe the slate clean and make improvements. Don’t like the news? Don’t watch it. Annoyed about something? How serious is it…really? When I get myself in a state at times, my wife calmly reminds me of the old “don’t sweat the small stuff”.
And you know? She’s right! Discard the negative and keep the positive!