"You can't run away from trouble. There 'aint no place that far."
~ Uncle Remus ~
When life is not going along the way I want it to, I get in this place- this mindset- where I feel like I have to do something. I have to make some big life changing decision to transform everything and prevent difficulty from ever happening again. I want to make this big choice that will save me from pain, hurt, discomfort, and fear forever and all time.
But no such choice is possible. Life has these things built in, and that's just the way it is. And they come, not to hurt us, not to beat us down, but to soften and sweeten us. Hardship comes to tune us in to love, compassion, and forgiveness, which are what really matter in the end anyway: not ambition, success, fame, or wealth, but tenderness, kindness, and a loving heart.
A meaningful life has hurt and hardship in it. That's the sand that makes us into pearls.
