Life Is Unpredictable

Life is far from perfect, yet on social media we tend to share only selected highlights of our lives; proclaiming to the world all the wonderful things that are happening to us. The carefully staged selfies, the check-ins at glamorous places, the polished and intellectual posts – all those things only tell half the story. We have been caught up in a trap of curating our own false identities in digital form, and yet for many of us it only paints part of the picture.

Nobody likes being sick. Even the common cold bothers people. Last week the weirdest thing happened to me. I woke up normally, however, I could not stand nor walk properly. My left side was…dead. It took all my strength and energy to stand. As for walking, I needed support. The thought of having to even go to the bathroom filled me with sheer dread.

Why am I telling you all this? Within all our pain or suffering, lie gifts of wisdom, if we choose to believe, if we choose to listen. There are lessons we can learn and use them to help others, share stories and put that tragedy to good use. Because I am now recovering, feeling a lot better, I looked back and found valuable lessons that I want to share with you.

• Sometimes the things we really want to do or get on with can seem big and not achievable now. That way of thinking leads to us putting things on the back burner for another day. But the problem is that time won’t wait. Life runs faster than you think, and in a moment, everything can change, and you will always regret the things you waited to do or the words you waited to say.
• You start counting your blessings and you become more grateful for the simple things in your life. When tragedy strikes, whether it is an actual loss, a perceived loss, or a brush with death, we are reminded of just how precious and fleeting life is. We might have thought that way before the tragedy struck, but after a tragedy, we feel it and it leads to change in our thinking and our behavior that is in effort to keep this feeling going.
• We always have a choice between facing, accepting and overcoming our obstacles or succumbing to its negativity. You think you can’t handle certain tragedies but when they happen, you find the strength within you to carry through and find the silver lining and the power you need to move on from such troubling times. Surviving an unthinkable loss or other tragic event is a monumental testimony to your inner strength.
• I thought I had everything under control, but life doesn’t work that way. It is unpredictable. No matter how much you plan your life or how much you know about it, you will always be faced with situations you didn’t prepare for or things you thought will never happen to you until it hits close to home and then you’re forced to change. This is the biggest lesson of all for me.

Being positive is one of the hardest things in life. It is a tough world out there, but our experiences are what make us who we are. Even the worst moments have something brilliant about them. Don’t let the hard times break you, let them build you into a stronger person.

Don’t wait for tragedy to strike – live with gratitude, love and connection, strength, direction, and appreciation for the transient nature of life today.

Post recovery, I made a commitment to focus on doing things that are meaningful and the people who really matter to me. The rest is just noise in my life.