If not you?

A friend of mine has gone thru some terribly troubling matters in life. It was almost as if the flood gates of Hell had opened up on her at times. Just when it seemed like she would get a reprieve and things would settle down, here come the next wave of chaos and there she went, swept out with the tidewaters.

I have a small close knit circle of friends and although many of us wished we could help her, wished we could ease the burdens, wished we could help carry the load, there wasn't much any of us could actually do FOR her. Thru it all, she seemed to carry on, kept a hopeful and often positive attitude. I'm not sure that I could have done that. One day I asked her how she did it. How she could maintain some sense of normal in her life when it all seemed to be going wrong. Did she ever wish it was someone elses problems? Because really, we all like to think bad things never happen to us, right?

That's when she told me to think about the worst things in life that have happened to me. Who of our circle of friends would I wish for ANY of that to happen to? Would friend X be strong enough to handle that? Could friend Y possibly do it? What about Z??? If not you, then who? 

I understand we all have our own set of problems, our own things to sort thru and our own share of things to deal with. While we would like to think things won't or can't happen to us, sometimes they do because we are truly strong enough to handle it. There may be a lesson in life to learn and the toughest road is the only option. You might be surprised what you CAN do when faced with adversity.  The next time the road before you is long, the mountain looks too high, the water rough, ask yourself, If not YOU, then WHO?

Comments

  1. joehAugust 16, 2013 at 6:10 AM

    Thought provoking.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Elliot MacLeod-MichaelAugust 18, 2013 at 3:25 PM

    I think we all have coping mechanisms that kick in when that kind of stuff happens. I'd be inclined to think there's a level that I couldn't deal with but in reality I probably could.

    ReplyDelete
  3. A Beer for the ShowerAugust 19, 2013 at 7:03 AM

    I deal better with crises than I do with mundane things, which is a blessing and a curse. Sure, I can tackle a hard challenge with a smile on my face, but trying to get me to do anything else is like pulling teeth. Never knew why, either.

    ReplyDelete
  4. kestrelAugust 19, 2013 at 2:28 PM

    It is what it is...has been my mechanism for a long time. Life just happens, and I refuse to believe that some entity is up there creating trouble for some perverse form of murky justice, when I have seen kind people fall prey to adversity and some really wretched people thrive. It just is what it is, you deal and go on.

    ReplyDelete

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