Life is always in balance.
What goes up must come down. What swings left, corrects itself by swinging right.
Sunshine emerges after the rain, the moon circles the sun, spring follows summer, and the universe unfolds itself in one, beautiful, endless majestic dance.
Nothing remains the same. Life is not in stasis.
You will have good days and you will have bad days. Happy days and sad days. Energetic days and sluggish days. You will also experience every imaginable degree in between, but the intensity of being down can be very much mitigated.
You can’t change who you are, who others are, or what life brings to your front step, but that doesn’t mean you’re not without control. You are not helpless.
You know for example that days when you’re sad, lonely, frustrated, tired, and defeated are coming. When they arrive, you should not be surprised or caught off guard. You might be startled, but you know they are coming. You can prepare yourself.
You can ready yourself by how you talk to yourself when the weather turns.
It’s easy to fold up your tent and go home. It’s easy to take your ball and run away. It’s hard to swim against the heavy stream, and give up the struggle, but that’s a failure to embrace living and it certainly won’t bring you any happiness.
What do you tell yourself when you get down or get tired?
Do you call yourself a lazy piece of monkey dung? Do you throw rocks of malcontent at yourself? Beat yourself up for all the promises you failed to keep?
But where does that leave you? What does it ever do for you? Has it ever helped you in any way? Or does it make it worse?
Maybe you should love yourself a little.
Give that a try sometime.
Learn to show some respect for the fact that being down is just part of the seesaw momentum of living. Take solace in the courage of not giving up. Have patience while you wipe away the metaphorical blood off your bloody lip. Take time to heal your woulds. Take time to rest your body and remember to feed your soul.
Regrouping, resetting, recharging, and resting are not insignificant acts of valour. They are most significant. They often determine how quickly you can rise again.
Resisting pressure. Standing firm in the midst of a grave storm takes tremendous strength and energy.
Don’t dismiss the magnitude of your strength and will. Don’t ignore the deep opportunity of being down, of not feeling well, of becoming tired and frustrated.
Love yourself.
A lot.
They say that you can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar and if that’s true, words of encouragement and compassion can attract and bring wonderful things into your life.
Don’t forget that all life is in perfect balance. You are a part of that balance. All that lives must die. Things change and move in a perfect symphonic rhythm of divine purpose. One things steps aside for another and makes way for that which has never been.
Don’t presume what being up or down means. Do what you need to do because sometimes making mistakes will lead you to outrageous fortune. Sometimes losing provides you with the knowledge to never be left behind again.
Love yourself.
Love yourself a lot
Especially when you’re down.
Cover photo generously provided by photographer Tiago Bandeira via unsplash.com
