Pippi's
favorite game in the morning.
****
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
“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
*****
"My attitude will bring me peace or pain"
