Sometimes it’s easy to get caught up in all the hustle and bustle of life and forget to stop and smell the roses from time-to-time. Of course for a lot of people those times are few and far between.
I have a bit of time before I go to the radio station, so I thought I would write a few words to put into print some of the random thoughts I have from time-to-time.
1. There are so many things we take forgranted in our lives – I know just being able to wake up each morning and get out of bed is some I don’t take into account most days. I guess the closest I come to that is when I’m sick and don’t really feel like getting out of bed, but in such a case that’s a choice and not a condition. I’m glad that I have mobility to get around.
2. There are sometimes in my day when I just need to stop what I’m doing and start the day over again – I know I’ve found myself frustrated for one reason or another and have to pause for a brief respite. Working with teenagers all day can be gratifying, but can also test the limits of one’s nerves. I sometimes need to say to myself, “David, this day has gotten to the point where it really blows… You need to pretend that you are starting your day over and see if things improve as the day goes on.” Seems like that works most of the time and keeps me from being at wit’s end.
3. It’s a bit unusual when you’re experiencing feelings you haven’t had in a long while – Many times we can get bogged down in the mundane happenings in life and become somewhat shielded from our true emotions. I recently found myself with feelings that I haven’t had in quite a while. The feelings were joyous and that was a wonderful thing. But at the same time, we can experience so of the more unpleasant emotions of our past. I need to make sure that I’m not living the present based on what I’ve experienced in the past, at least when it comes to those less-than-pleasant emotions.
4. Sometimes you can try to relate to someone’s problems, but unless you’ve experienced that problem or a similar one, it’s not easy to truly understand. There are many things we can to do help our fellow human beings and one of those things is to listen to them talk. We can offer our experience strength hope and give them a shoulder to lean on in difficult times. But unless you’ve been to that same place they’re at, it may be next to impossible to truly understand. That’s one of the beautiful things about support groups that bring together those that have gone through like experiences. No one can understand another’s pain better than someone that was in that same situation themselves. From alcohol and drug abuse to spousal abuse, support groups can provide an invaluable foundation for healing and growth.
David Lee 