Let the challenge strengthen you
Remember when you were a child? When you first began to walk? Okay, maybe you don’t remember that… but how about when you first learned to ride a bike? Or any other skill that you’ve mastered?
Were you perfect first time around? Of course not. Does a child’s first stumbling steps cause parents to rejoice, or to complain because they can’t walk without falling over for the first few days?
So why do we beat ourselves up when we feel as if we’re not performing perfectly in the midst of a crisis? Why don’t we have the humility of a child learning to walk? A humility that empowers them to get up and keep on getting up until they succeed. A humility that allows us to teach them right from wrong, good from bad. How losing can teach us how to win.
Of course we will mess up. Of course we will feel overwhelmed. Of course we will sometimes feel like giving up, or getting angry, or whining about things. But that’s not the big picture. It’s just a blip. A moment in time. An aberration.
History, and personal experience teaches us that often a crisis is the very thing that makes us stronger, wiser and more compassionate. It’s like the friction of the grindstone on a metal blade. Sparks fly and things get hot. But the end result is a beautiful tool, fit for purpose, strong and sharp. Just as my Grandparents would have told me: adversity makes you better.
In case you think that I’m just mouthing platitudes, let me assure you that I really am speaking from personal experience. For about 7 or 8 years I sought medical advice from doctors, for various symptoms, without any success. By the time I was eventually diagnosed, my body cells were over 80% cancerous with an incurable cancer. I spent a year prior to diagnosis trying to find a cure for what I was suffering, while being told there was nothing to cure. I eventually submitted to chemo. Despite the ‘incurable’ sentence, neither my body nor I have given up the fight.
The lessons I learned then, allow me to be optimistic now, regarding this current crisis we share. I see many good things happening despite the fear and the failure of many of the social and economic systems on which we routinely rely.
I see brighter skies. I breathe clearer air. I see smiling neighbors enjoying the outdoors more than they have for years. Families riding bikes together. Learning to be real again. Learning a new way of life. Together.
Notwithstanding the severity of the current situation, it can be a time of rediscovery of what’s most important in life. Of cultivating hope and perseverance. Ten years after being faced with stage four incurable cancer, I am still facing the challenges of life that we all invariably experience. We don’t allow these challenges to steal our hope or prevent us from figuring out how to navigate and overcome them.
Instead, we embrace the humility of admitting that we are still learning. Still perfecting our life skills. Still learning to lean on and support each other. So, my take on this crisis is: let’s not give up hope. Let’s continue striving for each other, rather than striving against each other.
#LifeLessons #CancerSurvivor #Covid19 #Coronavirus