“If you can find a path with no obstacles, it probably doesn’t lead anywhere”
- Frank A. Clark
Unfortunately life is filled with obstacles. Sometimes we think we will never make it through them because it seems too unbearable. When I start to think of all of the pain in the world, it makes life look so bleak. Mothers losing their children in war (against drugs and in combat), families falling apart, suicides, freak accidents, people being abused, genocides … these are all things happening today that seem nearly impossible to surmount. Yet, somehow there are strong people everyday living with the pain of these tragedies and surviving. If they can do it, so can you, but it is not easy.
When I was younger, I dreaded the obstacles placed in front of me. I didn’t understand why life had to be so hard and why things couldn’t just be status quo all the time. Fighting against the reality of challenges in life only creates anxiety. As I got older, I learned quickly that every life difficulty has it’s reason. When you look in hindsight, you suddenly can see why you had to endure every struggle to get you where you need to be. Every obstacle leads you to learn, grow, and become happier. Life’s challenges make us who we are. Once you can let go and accept that sometimes life is just hard, but that it will pass eventually, your anxieties can lift. Nothing in life is permanent, for better or for worse. Acceptance that life isn’t all peaceful and happy all the time is nearly inconceivable at times.
The hard part is that the only way around your problems is through them. The more you try to avoid going through them and dealing with them head on, the more chaos you end up creating in your life. So it is ok to be sad, lonely, angry, and frustrated with life. It will pass eventually. And even though in the moment it seems crazy, be grateful you have been given this challenge because you WILL come out a better and happier person when you make it through on the other side. Avoiding obstacles, isn’t going to make life any easier in the long run. So remember how strong you are, all the things you have conquered before, and how good you will feel when you are done climbing the next mountain. The good parts of life make it all worth it in the end. So take it one step at a time. You can do it!
For my Amy Lee <3
