Little Life Lessons

Right now this picture is only meant to make your heart melt and your mouth to do an automatic "awwww"....

This week there were a few traumatic, albeit to others, probably minorly so, events that occurred that 1- made me cry .... 1 - made me sick in my stomach for a few days and 1 - made me kind of off and on angry for a few days.

All three of these events were things that happened, didn't really happen yet or happened because of something that maybe I didn't fully think about before I did (I don't know how much I would have changed if I had, but all the same it was one of those shoot, then consider things that I'm willing to admit I do quite often).

I've spent most of the week phasing in and out between several emotions and festering and lying awake late at night and even waking up mid way through the night (which I really don't often do).  These events were life changing for this week as far as they seemed pretty dog gone big to me.

Last night I felt like I needed some perspective so I picked up this book by this girl who had been in Auschwitz for three years during the 40s.  I know its a redundant kind of story and some people are tired of it - I understand - put I think that anyone would agree that what certain people when through during the 40s does make things that we go through now seem a little pithy and small.  I've never had my house taken away (well, without getting a lot of money for it), I've never not had food (even if in college it was only ramen noodles and microwave popcorn - of my own choice may I add), I've never been sent out in the winter with no gloves, no coat and shoes that had holes in them and made to walk miles in the snow or do manual labor (although I have often seen my niece go to the dog park in December in flip flops and a hoody and fingerless gloves - but thats her "cool" choice...).  So when you look at all those things, the things that I'm traumatizing my tummy over are pretty insignificant.

I could say "hang it all!" and do whatever I want and not concern myself over what people think or how I should handle a situation.  Ok, I already do that sometimes.  I think theres a good balance between making decision and executing them and not worrying about how people will or won't judge you because theres probably always going to be someone who WILL judge you -- and then theres the side that I do think I need to consider the feelings of others and wise or unwise ways to handle situations that concern people, especially friends and family.  But, even with consideration, mistakes will be made and self-lashing my back won't do anything to fix a mistake.

Its coming to the end of this traumatic week and, thanks to thoughtful reminders from my sister and my best friends, I'm realizing that (thanks to you all for letting me moan and cry -- literally)...
1 - sometimes you can make mountains out of molehills and ruin your sleep over things that will be memories by the end of the week... don't sweat the small stuff is true, trying to decipher what is the small stuff is important (which most of it is)
2 - sometimes you have to bite a bitter pill that you may not even agree with all the time and just say "I'm sorry" if offense was taken (mind you its best not to say "I'm sorry, but just so you know I don't agree with you"-- just bite it for the sake of a relationship and maybe learn a little something)
3 - sometimes, when you want to hastily respond, or when you want to respond at all, the best thing to do is to wait -- or better yet, sometimes, not to respond at all.
4 - and finally - sometimes, when you don't know what to do to fix your fences and soothe your worry-induced indigestion -- the only thing you can do is pray about it.  Pray for wisdom, pray for peace and pray for resolution with a good end that will bring you closer with your friends and closer to God.

And then when you've done all or most of the things above you get a good reminder lesson ... one of those, now-I'm-going-to-show-you lessons ...
one of the situations that I had been losing sleep over since Monday resolved itself in a way that I was hoping it would all along and it was, in fact, no big deal when it did present itself in resolution.  And with that one - all I had to do was pray pray pray and then make a simple request and then wait and pray some more and - bam.  There it was.

I suppose the hard thing is is dealing with the situations where you wait and pray and all, and it doesn't always resolve itself the way that makes things easier or nicer for you.  But then - thats what those survivor reminder stories are about for me -- when I think those things that inconvenience me or make me mad are just SO horrible - its all in perspective.  Whats an issue today will probably be done and in the past by next year at this time.  And even if its not - there are bigger things AND theres always someone you can turn to if you can just bite it and admit you need some help....

And that being said - you can then go to bed at night and look like little Calvin Coolidge at the top of this post - all peaceful and content and relaxed.....

Just remember that when you're learning, you're usually learning from "little" life lessons....