Take nothing for granted.
We live in a bubble. Sometimes it’s of our own making, often it’s not. Our perceptions shape our reality, such as it is. We see what we want to see. Thus, when things don’t work out the way we expect, we get upset and emotionally wrought.
However, maybe the luck of the draw, perceived as going against us, is actually for us. Might even be that the circumstances are in our favour, it’s just that we expected more. More! And that’s the problem.
While there is a certain merit in ambition and planning, these must never obscure our thought life from appreciating the here and the now. The dissatisfaction with current circumstances sometimes stem from a perception flaw.
But even more than that, there is an expectation that things should be better before we can be contented with our life. Nothing wrong, of course, with wanting to improve our lives but once again, not at the expense of enjoying the present.
Let me put this life lesson in context. Like everyone else on the planet, my life has been put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic. No more gigs, visits to the cinemas and drinks sessions with friends. Now, I am not averse to being a hermit at home but there are limits to this status.
So it’s too easy to gripe about the state of affairs in my life right now and fail to ‘smell the roses’ even during difficult times. Then, I run a fever for a couple of days, visit the doctor to test for dengue fever (my area is a hot zone, at the moment) but the test comes back negative.
Could it be COVID-19? It seems unlikely but the doctor is duty bound to send me for a swab test. My imagination runs wild of course – what would it mean to my life – and my family – if I tested positive.
The swab is essentially an elongated q-tip and the medical worker inserted them into my nostrils deep till it stung. I was told that I would be informed about the result within 24 hours. It was a tough wait. Now it seemed that obviously my life could turn for the worse, even as I was unhappy with the current state of affairs.
A happy ending – the test returned negative! A valuable lesson learned once again. Take nothing for granted cuz things can always get worse! Be!
… still there’s more …