Well...I've Got Good News and Bad News.
When I was a young adult, my greatest fear was of losing everything. To wake up one day, and no longer have a house...or a car...or even a job. I always wondered what I would do in this situation. Looking back on it now, I realize that mostly I feared people’s reaction to my calamity. It was less about the dire circumstances and more about the question, “What would people say?”
There was this part of me that hated to fail. I was embarrassed by the thought of people witnessing my imperfections. I would boast about not being perfect and try to pretend that I was proud of my scars. But scars are usually not just surface elements. They run deep. I had to be painfully cut in order for them to be created.
As a middle-aged woman, I now see my scars in a softer light. I've grown to learn that my scars influence how I view life and my experiences. My scars are the reminders that I sometimes need to caution my choices or tone down my actions. My scars are there to protect my spirit from future attacks. But did you know that my scars also provide me with hope?
When I first saw this picture, my immediate reaction was to laugh. I could imagine it being the ending scene of a cartoon. The main character goes from one bad incident to another, with it finally climaxing in the scene being portrayed: This lone person slowly floating away from a horrific tragedy by clinging to the string of a single, red balloon. Just to provide an added chuckle, my warped sense of humor likes to add a small bird racing towards it.
But looking at it now, I see that there is much more to this picture than the humor that I felt during my initial viewing. I believe that in many ways it paints a very accurate portrayal of hope.
I like to think of hope as a strong belief or expectation that good things will happen. You may have heard someone being described as looking at life through rose tinted glasses. Well, for me, hope is a lot like doing just that. It’s the act of walking through day-to-day experiences expecting positive outcomes.
I guess the problem with this belief is the fact that life is not made up of simple black and white experiences. There are no “true” good and bad days. (Just like there are no “true” perfect vacations.) Instead, in my opinion, our lives slide up and down a variety of spectrums. And every experience we have contains both positive and negative aspects.
When I say that I often walk through life expecting positive outcomes, it does not mean that I don’t expect problems. I have had more than my share of hurts and disappointments. I’m well acquainted with failure because I take chances. I know what it feels like to have people treat you poorly due to aspects of your person that you have no control over. Expecting positive outcomes is not about wishing to only have positive experiences.
My belief centers around the actual landing point. The intended goal or the final outcome that sits just beyond the horizon. And in my mind, I accept failure as a learning tool. I know that just because I watched a YouTube video, that doesn’t make me gourmet chef. With my students, I like to use the metaphor of playing a video game. Most kids can relate to how video games increase in difficulty with each level. They can understand replaying the same event until they’ve achieved mastery. I believe that the barbs or zingers (or whatever you want to call them) that life throws at us are all in the name of building up our skills and creating stronger characters. Can you see the hope that this provides?
When you look at the journey as your training adventure, the problems you face can easily be seen as mere twists and turns in the greater picture that is unfolding around you.
And the red balloon. There will always be a red balloon. It may not be as fancy as what you had before, but it gets the job done. It lifts you up above the calamity and slowly floats you towards your destination. The thing is: it doesn’t matter how you get there. It doesn’t matter how long it takes. The takeaway is that you make it.
So, give yourself a break this week. Don’t focus too much on your imperfections. Don’t fear what could go wrong. Instead, Live your P.O.W.E.R.! Plan...Organize...Work Hard...Excel...and Reap the Rewards. Your life will be filled with many opportunities. Don’t become overwhelmed by the negative aspects you experience. Instead trust that there is a red balloon that will always somehow come through.
So here you are. You have good news and bad news. The bad news: Things will inevitably go wrong. Good news: You, my friend, will overcome!
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