****
Life has rules.They just may not be the ones you think.
It starts on the playground or sitting around the kitchen table as a kid. “The early bird gets the worm,” we’re told. “Slow and steady wins the race.” “Play fair and people will play fair with you.” “Good things happen to good people.” “Keep your faith, and your dreams will come true.”
From day one, these are the rules we’re taught to live by. We get them from our parents, our teacher...as we grow older, they form the foundation of our hopes, expectations, and beliefs. In theory, it’s a great system. All we have to do is treat people fairly, set positive goals, and work hard to achieve them. Since life is fair, everything works out in the end.
Here’s the catch: these rules aren’t real.
We spend a lot of time and energy avoiding and denying the Real Rules of Life. We struggle within ourselves, trying desperately not to look these truths in the eyes. And yet, by acknowledging their existence, one by one, we can begin to make peace with life.
Take the fact that we age, for example. Making peace with our own mortality, coming to terms with changes in our bodies...
We can also recognize that we will probably suffer heartbreaking losses and disappointments during the course of our lives...
...peace and contentment come when you understand life’s terms.
We all travel different paths in this life. Some we choose. Some choose us. The path that chose me was one of loss. It was set into motion by one defining moment that transformed my life 15 years ago. The loss of my daughter, Jenna, and my life as her father, has brought me to where I am right now: writing about the lessons I’ve learned along life’s long, uneven course.
written by Ken Druck
*****
“Your vision will become clear only when you look into your heart. Who looks outside, dreams. Who looks inside, awakens.”
Carl Jung
****
“Look at every path closely and deliberately, then ask ourselves this crucial question: Does this path have a heart? If it does, then the path is good. If it doesn’t, it is of no use.”
Carlos Castandea
*****
"I accept life on life's terms"
