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“We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.”
–Oscar Wilde
If there is one thing that is a certainty in this life, it is that we will face difficult times. We may lose a loved one, be stranded without a way of getting home, or lose a job. We may move away from everyone we know, struggle to put food on the table, or simply be caught unprepared in a tough situation. The difficult possibilities can seem endless and overwhelming and unfortunately, facing at least one of them in a lifetime is a reality.
Knowing this reality, we are faced with a choice. We can spend our lives worrying about the gathering storm. We can fret about every potential outcome and do our best to have a plan in place for any possibility. Of course, in doing this, we risk making ourselves sick with stress and fear. Or, we can choose to prepare for the storm in a different way. We can spend our time enjoying every moment to the fullest, living life, and loving those around us.
Making the decision to live by the second option means we choose a life of hope instead of fear, a life of peace instead of despair. Our time on this earth is short enough as it is. If we live in perpetual fear of the coming storm, we lose any ability to enjoy the fullness of life. However, when we live with hope we can do just that. Choosing hope does not mean the storm will pass by us, it simply means we are on more solid ground when the storm appears.
